BlackSword
by Ben Skywalker
Summary: Nine years after the events of the movie, Jack meets back up with Will and Elizabeth. When something from Jack's past puts Will in lifethreatening danger, will he be able to save the younger man?
1. Reunion

Weeeeeeeee. Thanks to my friends, I'm finally posting this story. You know who you are; you get an invisible cookie. (One of them actually typed this for me, which is probably the reason I'm posting this. As soon as I find out her new penname, I'll give her the proper thanks)

Anyway, of course I don't own it. If I did, there'd be a crap-load of torture in the sequel. Maybe even a bloody, horrible death.

Anyway, the rating is for torture and cussing. If you don't like blood, don't read.

Anyway, please read and review. PLEASE! I'll love you forever if you do.

Wow, did anyone else notice just how many times I used anyways to start a sentence there? That's just pathetic.

And so, onto the story.

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Blacksword  
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**Chapter 1**

"Here are the knives you ordered, Admiral. Balanced as you like.

The Admiral ran a hand down the length of the steel blades and hefted them once, experimentally. When he was satisfied he nodded and said, "Good job, Turner. I must say, you are, by far, the best blacksmith I've ever seen."

William Turner bowed slightly, "Thank you, Admiral. That is most kind." One strand of his almost shoulder length brown hair slipped down into his eyes and he quickly pushed it back.

"I'll have your payment tomorrow, Mr. Turner. Goodbye, and thank you for the knives." With that the Admiral turned and left the small blacksmith shop.

Will sighed slightly as he watched the man go. He had already finished everything else he was supposed to do and soon it would be time to leave. He walked over to a small rack of swords and gently picked one up. Like the others, this one was perfectly balanced, the only thing marking it as different was the faint bloodstain on the blade that he had never been able to remove.

He sighed again and idly let his fingers run along the length of the blade as he remembered how the blade had gained the bloodstain. It had been only his second real fight and the first time he had killed someone. Nine years had passed since then but he remembered it clearly. How could he ever forget an adventure like that?

He glanced out the window, towards the docks. He scanned the ships as he had done almost every day since then, hoping to see the familiar hull of the Black Pearl. Of course, the ship wasn't there. They were the same ships from yesterday and the day before.

Finally, he placed the blade back on the rack before preparing to leave. He quickly picked up his coat and hat and, walking out of the shop, carefully locked the door behind, headed towards the docks. Will enjoyed watching the men load and unload their ships and the docks were also a great place to hear the latest stories about the many infamous pirates.

Picking one of the many pilings, he leaned up against it. His brown eyes carefully watched the boats but he listened carefully to the conversations around him. Finally he heard someone mention "pirates" and he quickly blocked out all else to hear better.

"Bloody luck the Navy's been having with those pirates lately," the first man was saying. "I wish they'd all drop off the face of the world. Either that or go bother the bloody French."

"Yes," a second agreed, "we'd all be better off without them, them and their bloody habits: drinking, smoking, stealing from everyone, lust, murder, and that greed. They're all a bunch of demons that deserve to die. The worst sort of people imaginable."

Will bristled slightly as he heard this. While most of the accusations were true, a few were not. He happened to know a few pirates, and they weren't demons. They were good people.

"Speaking of pirates," a third man said, approaching the two Will was listening to, "better be careful. I heard there is a ship drifting around outside the bay. Supposed to be pirates."

"Pirates?" demanded the second man. "Pirates around here? What on earth do they want?"

The first didn't seem surprised, "What do you think? Gold! They're probably planning on plundering the town tonight."

"That was my impression as well. Best stay inside and lock our doors tonight," the third admitted. Slowly their conversation drifted to other things.

Will's mind, though, was still stuck on what they'd just said. 'Pirates, here?' he wondered. 'This is great, maybe they'll be able to give me some news on the Black Pearl.' He smiled and ran out of the docks, heading toward his house and his wife. 'Elizabeth will be excited.'

He burst through the door, "Elizabeth? Elizabeth! Where are you?" He started glancing around as he hung up his coat and hat. "Elizabeth, I have something to tell you!"

He heard her footsteps approaching, "Will, you're home early. What's going on?" Elizabeth walked into the room, blonde hair cascading down her shoulders. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

Will returned the kiss, then broke off and said, "There are pirates outside the bay. The people believe they are going to plunder the town tonight. Maybe we'll be able to find out about the Black Pearl." His brown eyes filled with excitement at the thought. He, along with Elizabeth, was probably one of the few people in town who wasn't afraid of pirates.

Elizabeth smiled back at her husband, "Speaking of pirates, you are certainly starting to look like one of them." Indeed, he looked much more like a pirate than when they had first met the captain and crew of the Black Pearl. Then he had looked like a perfect English citizen and had despised anything dealing with pirates. Will had later found out that he was the son of a famous pirate. Now he accepted what he was, and it showed.

It wasn't really that he looked like a pirate; it was his clothes. "I have a feeling Captain Sparrow would be surprised to see how much like a pirate you look like," Elizabeth added. His leather boots and dark pants and shirt, along with the overcoat he had taken off made him look like a pirate. "Do you think it might be the Black Pearl?"

Will shrugged, "I doubt it. There are so many pirate ships it is unlikely. We could probably find out about it." He glanced longingly over out the window. More than he could admit, he wanted to find out about the Black Pearl and its captain. He had become friends with the captain and was interested in what had become of him.

"How are you going to find out what they know?" Elizabeth asked, suddenly worried. Pirates could be trouble and she was afraid Will would get hurt if he just went and asked about the Black Pearl.

"I'll ask," he answered. When he noticed her concern, he added, "Don't worry, I'll take my sword and be careful."

"I want to come with you," Elizabeth said. Before Will could protest she was shaking her head, "Don't tell me I can't come, I've already made up my mind." Will sighed; he could tell she meant it and that nothing he said would make a difference.

"Okay, fine, you can come. Let's go back to my shop, we'll pick up a few swords-just in case-that way if they attack tonight, we'll be ready."

Elizabeth shifted as she watched the pirate ship dock at one of the piers. "Will," she said softly, "they're here."

Will came up beside her, watching the ship as well, "I doubt that's the Black Pearl. The hull looks like it but… the sails aren't black." He shrugged as he said this. "Well, come on Elizabeth. Let's get going."

The two slipped out into the night. They heard screams as the pirate quickly killed or knocked out anyone in their way. They both knew they needed to find one or two pirates; an amount they could handle or there would be trouble. Elizabeth spotted two lone pirates racing down an alley and she tapped her husband, "There," she whispered, pointing in the direction the two pirates had fled.

Will and Elizabeth ran after the two. As they caught sight of the retreating backs, Will shouted, "You, stop!" To Elizabeth's mild surprise, the two skidded to a halt and turned to face them.

"What do you want?" one of the pirates asked. His voice had a slight twang and one side of his lip was pulled upward in a permanent grimace due to a scar that curled under one eye and down to his mouth. "If it's death ye be seeking, you at the right place."

Will shook his head, "No, all we want is information. But I am ready to fight for it, if the need arises."

The second pirate looked curious and he glanced at his partner before asking, "What kind of information are you seeking?" This pirate seemed of Spanish descent but had near flawless English with hardly any accent.

"I want news. News about the Black Pearl and its Captain, Jack Sparrow," Will answered. He still held a sword in each hand, but had relaxed slightly. The two pirates didn't seem to be bloodthirsty men.

At the name Jack Sparrow, the two tensed and suddenly seemed suspicious of the two. Will tensed also and shifted, making sure Elizabeth was safely behind him. "What do you want with the Cap'n?" the first asked, scowling. The scar made him a fierce sight to behold.

"The Captain?" Elizabeth repeated, speaking for the first time. "You mean that's the Black Pearl? That's Jack's ship?" Her blue eyes widened and excitement swept through her.

Will had noticed the way the two pirates continued to steadily become more and more uneasy and suspicious of them, but for what reason, he didn't know. Suddenly the Spanish pirate drew a pistol, cocked it, and pointed it at Will. "We can't have you asking about the Captain. It tends to be dangerous. So, we'll kill you and the Captain will remain safe." With that, he whistled sharply and as he did, six more pirates appeared, each holding a pistol towards them.

"Drop the swords," the scarred pirate ordered. He alone had a sword pointed at them. Slowly Will and Elizabeth obeyed. "Time to die."

Will's eyes widened slightly and he slowly held his hands in the air as a gesture of surrender. "Parlay," he said softly.

The Spanish man looked surprised, "What did you say?"

"Parlay."

"Parlay," Elizabeth said, repeating her husband.

The scar-faced man stepped forward, "How do you know parlay?" Quickly, he grabbed Will's right arm and pushed up the sleeve and stared in shock.

"What?" the man behind him asked, being the first of the six new arrivals to talk.

"He… has a brand of a pirate, but… not_ the_ brand. It almost looks… as if he did it to himself." He stared at the mark tattooed on Will's arm above the wrist; the there was no mistaking the "P" for anything else.

The Spaniards eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter. It's not _the_ brand, therefore, he's not a pirate and therefore, he can't call parlay." As soon as he said this, the sound of the rest of the pistols being cocked echoed through the now quiet night.

Will's body tensed up and he reached behind him, grabbing his wife's hand and giving it a soft squeeze. Suddenly Elizabeth spoke up, "You can't kill us. If Captain Sparrow finds out what you're doing, you'll all be in trouble. Plus, we called parlay."

There was a sigh, and then one of the pirates spoke up and said, "Parlay only has to be granted if the one who calls it is a pirate. Besides, we know you're lying. The Captain don't have no friends, so why should he care about you?"

"Well, if you think that, why don't you take us to your captain now and see what he says about us?" Will reasoned. He knew if they could only see Jack or vice-versa, or even if Jack learned their names, he would help them.

The Spaniard laughed, "You actually want to see the Captain? Okay, your funeral." He turned to the man beside him, "Bind them." AS the small man quickly obeyed, tying Will and Elizabeth's hands behind them, the Spanish man whispered something to the scarred one.

"Secrets don't make friends," Will commented dryly, knowing what they had been talking about- them.

Scar-face approached him, sword still in hand. "You're going to be trouble. Well… I can fix that." With that, he placed the edge of his sword on Will's side and drew it back sharply.

"Will!" Elizabeth screamed as he gasped, eyes widening, and dropped to his knees holding his side.

"Will, is it? Huh, what's your name, missy? Have to be able to properly introduce you to the Captain."

"E… Elizabeth," she stammered softly, unable to keep her eyes off Will. Will remained on his knees, holding his side in an attempt to slow the blood loss, pain clearly written on his face.

"Well, come on. You wanted to see the Captain, so that's where we're going." One of the pirates jerked Will to his feet and another began to lead Elizabeth to the Black Pearl. The rest followed quickly behind.

"Captain… uh, I need to talk to you Captain," Paul said softly. Paul- or Scarface as he was more commonly called- stood uneasily outside the door to the Captain's room. They had placed the two "prisoners" in one of the cells on board, but now he actually had to confront the Captain.

"Come in," the Captain called from inside. Paul took a deep breath, trying not to think about the rumors that the captain was mentally… unstable. The rumors had sprouted from his actions and risk-taking tendencies.

Paul entered and noticed, once again, the impressiveness of his captain. Jack Sparrow had dark, imposing eyes that seemed both serious and merry at the same time and long, dark brown hair wrapped in bight colors and beaded. Around the top of his head was a red bandanna and over that was his favorite, tri-pointed hat, and beads in his braided beard gleamed.

Jack smile at Paul, revealing his many gold-capped teeth. "Hello, Paul. Have a good time plundering?"

"Uh, yes, but there is something I need to ask you."

"Ask away, dear Scarface… uh, it doesn't involve my ship, does it? I've already told you, you can't throw a party on board unless you invite me." Jack seemed dead serious as he said this, but his eyes danced.

"Well, we have two prisoners with us. They called parlay, but they're not pirates. Also, they claim they know ye."

"Of course they know me, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Everyone knows me."

"I meant they know you, personally, not of you. They seem to think you're a friend, or at least you'll keep us from killing them."

Jack looked surprised, "Friends? Of me? Captain Jack Sparrow doesn't have any friends."

"Exactly what we told them, Captain, but they insisted. Can we kill them? The man's already injured. After we bound them, I half gutted him."

"Best tell me their names first. You know, on the off chance I know them." A look of pure seriousness crossed Jack's face then, "You do realize, though, that if they are my friends- don't worry, I doubt they are- I'll have to do to you what you did to them."

Paul nodded, "I'm not worried. Friends of Captain Sparrow? I highly doubt it. Anyways, their names are Elizabeth and Will."

Jack Sparrow froze. 'Elizabeth and Will?' he thought, 'It can't be!' Suddenly he stepped forward, drew his sword, and slashed hard down Paul's side. "Sorry, but I have a feeling these are friends." That done, he re-sheathed his sword and started out his room to the cells. As he reached them, he slowed. The two inside he hadn't seen in nine years, but there was no mistaking either of them.

"Will?" he asked softly in disbelief. "Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth's head snapped up, "Jack?" she asked. "Is that really you?"

Jack grinned, "Who else do you know this good looking?" He quickly unlocked the door and joined them inside. "Are you okay, Will?"

Will looked for the first time and smiled around his pain, "About time, Jack. Did you stop for a drink on the way here?" Will was still holding his side as he sat on his knees. By now, his hands were covered in his own blood.

Jack smiled and laughed. "No, stopped and had some dinner though," he joked. He crouched down in front of Will and carefully looked them over. "Are you okay, Will?" he asked again.

Will nodded slightly and turned his attention to Jack, away from his injury, "How have you been? It's been nine years."

"I've been fine. I'm still alive, so… I can't complain too much. But nine years certainly has changed you. What happened to the blacksmith I met who hated anything dealing with pirates?" Jack asked, shaking his head slightly. "I only thought you looked like your father before; now it's as if ol' Bootstrap's back from the grave."

Will smiled, but the grin was laced with pain, and Jack saw it. He reached into his coat and pulled out some bandages then handed them to Elizabeth, "Here, use these to patch him back up. I'll go talk to the crew, because you're going to be stuck on board until we reach the next city." 

Jack got up and started to leave, but stopped and turned back. "Good to see you two again." He grinned and winked at them. "I'm glad the two of you are here." He continued out, making sure to leave the cell open so they could leave when they wanted.

Will watched him go then glanced back to Elizabeth who had opened his shirt and was carefully binding up his side. "He hasn't changed much," Will commented. He winced as she tightened one of the bandages and thought, 'I'm glad he hasn't. His… unique character is part of what makes him such a god person.'

Elizabeth nodded as she finished on him, "It's a good thing. You know, I don't mind staying on the ship for a while. There finished." She smiled and kissed him, "Just take it easy and you'll be fine."

Will grinned, "If this is anything like last time, that'll be hard to do.

TBC


	2. The Best Pirate

Hello! I'm BACK! OMG! Five reviews! People have read and enjoyed. Oh, I feel loved!

Another special thanks to **sanquinedarkness666** for typing this for me. Squawk! #grin# (inside joke, if you want to know, read Camping Chaos, a lovely Power Ranger fic) Love you bunches, Abby.

**Smithy** **– **Thanks for the review. Your question should be answered in this chapter. And don't worry. He will have _plenty_ of scars by the time this is over. One question though, what's GMA?

**Obliviongates **– I love you right now. For the review, of course! No, it's perfectly normal to like someone more when they're being hurt. Don't worry; the angst will only get more intense. This is nothing. We won't have actual angst and torture for at least one more chapter. Then things may get just a bit bloody. Hehehe. #evil grin#

**Williz** – No, thank you for the review. You made my day. Hopefully you'll like the rest, 'cause it should just keep getting better.

**Staci **– Thanks. Glad you like it. Here's the next chapter.

Anyway, keep reading. Leave more reviews and I'll give you an invisible cookie!

P.S. – No, I don't own them, except Paul and Miguel. And BlackSword. And a couple of others… Hey! I have characters of my own!

If I did own it, the second and third movies would be packed with torture and death. Then, I'd buy Power Rangers and make them stop making it a kids show and have them redo Ninja Storm and DinoThunder for adults… or at least for teenagers. There's NO way teenagers would have gotten through all that crap and not even cussed once. Plus, they needed more Blake/Tori and Trent/Kira. Possibly even some Hunter/Cam. And of course, death, pain, and torture galore! Mwahahahahaha!

… Okay… I'm done now. On to the story.

**BlackSword**  
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**Chapter 2 **

Jack sighed; his crew wasn't accepting the news of Will and Elizabeth staying very well. They seemed unwilling to accept the presence of two "civilians".

"They aren't pirates," Miguel said. Miguel was the only aboard from Spain. "Granted, the man has a pirate's brand, but I'm almost positive he did it to himself. I don't know why, but he's not a pirate. Neither is she. Besides only an idiot would brand themselves."

Jack stared; letting what Miguel had just said sink in. 'Will's branded? Since when? Why would he brand himself? He should have known that brand wouldn't be accepted by pirates and yet if he got caught with it by anyone else he'd be hung.' He shook his head. He would have to fix the brand so pirates would accept it. If it was good enough to get him hung, it should at least be good enough to grant him parlay.

"He's more of a pirate than you know. He's Will Turner, the only son of Bootstrap Bill Turner," Jack insisted. "He's also one of my few friends. He's the only reason I wasn't hung for piracy nine years ago. I owe him my life at least once and I owed his father more than I was able to repay. You will treat him as you treat me."

"What?" Paul asked in shock. "That's Bootstrap's kid?" He closed his eyes and shook his head, unconsciously fingering the curling scar on his face. "Oh boy, and I half-gutted him?"

"Yes, and I don't want that happening again. They are our guests, so be nice." He looked pointedly at a few members of his crew, "And when I saw be nice, that doesn't mean cut off their fingers instead of their whole arms. It means leave them alone."

Jack sighed and flopped in a chair rather unceremoniously and gestured for Will to take a seat. Elizabeth was in the room the two of them would be staying in, doing who knew what. Jack, though, wanted to find out what had happened over the past nine years and Will wanted to know the same.

"I assume the two of you are now Mr. And Mrs. Turner," Jack said, picking up a bottle of rum and uncorking it.

"Yes, sorry we didn't invite you to the wedding, but when you escaped to the Black Pearl that day, you didn't exactly tell us where you'd be. Besides, the commodore and Elizabeth's father were there; they would have killed you on sight had you been there."

Jack nodded his understanding and took a large swallow of the rum, "I understand. Never liked those two anyway." A grin spread across his face, "I bet you had fun on the honeymoon."

"Jack!" Will shouted, throwing a gold coin that had been lying around at his friend. "That's not funny!"

"Sure it is," Jack insisted, rubbing his cheek where the coin had hit him.

Will rolled his eyes before asking, "So what about you? What happened to the 'able-bodied crew' you had nine years ago? And what happened to the black sails?"

"Had to get new sails. Barbossa did quite a number on them when he had the Pearl. As for my crew, I dropped them off in port a few towns ago. Figured I be getting in trouble soon and I didn't want to drag them into it.

"Trouble?" Will repeated uncertainly. Last time 'trouble' had been a shipload of immortal skeleton pirates. "What kind of trouble?"

"Don't worry. I'm planning on dropping you and Elizabeth off before anything happens," Jack quickly assured him. "I'm just chasing down a pirate who supposedly has powers capable of killing a human in seconds. Black Andrew Ripheart is his name; though most just call him Black Andrew or Blacksword. Supposedly he's cursed. I don't know about that, but he's a bloodthirsty maniac who's already killed a few of my crew; now it's time for him to pay."

"Sounds like fun," Will commented sarcastically. "Why is it always a curse?" He reached out and took the rum from Jack and took a sip before handing it back. "Why are you dropping us off first? Don't want any non-pirates getting in the way?"

Jack's eyes widened in surprise at the soft accusation. "No, it's just that you're my friends and I don't want you to get hurt." He flashed a smile before continuing, "Speaking of non-pirates though, let me see your arm."

Will understood what he meant and pushed up his right sleeve, revealing the mark tattooed there. Jack grabbed his wrist and pulled it closer to get a better look. He carefully studied the blocky "P" tattooed there.

"Well, it's tattooed right- the color and everything- but it needs to be burned in. That's why it's called the pirates brand. I can fix it so you'll be considered a real pirate, but it will hurt like hell."

Will nodded, "That's okay. I think I can handle it."

Jack smiled but continued to watch his friend curiously, "Why'd you brand yourself anyway? You'll be hung if anyone sees it, or at least thrown in jail. Why did you decide to go from just being a blacksmith to being a pirate as well?"

"I branded myself because I am a pirate. I've committed several acts of piracy. It's like you told me: I'm a pirate. It's in my blood, and I accept that."

"I didn't mean for you to brand yourself. Now, you can't let anyone find out, or Will Turner will not be able to go to town unhunted."

"I'm not worried. Now, you said you could fix it, make it a true brand…?"

Jack sighed, "Okay, but I warned you." He stood up, setting down the bottle, and walked to the shelf and removed a small metal object. He held one end into the fire and waited. When he removed it, the "P" shaped end was glowing bright orange. He walked back over to Will, who held out his wrist, waiting. "This is going to hurt," Jack said again. With that, he placed the scalding hot metal to the soft skin on Will's wrist and held it there.

A few days had passed since Jack had given Will a true brand of a pirate, and the burn had all but healed leaving behind the definite mark of a pirate. Will gently rubbed his wrist and watched as the Black Pearl docked at the port. It was pitch black and the night was silent.

"Look, I want you and Elizabeth to get out before we start plundering; I don't want you two to get in trouble."

Will though, was worried, about what, Jack could not say. "Jack, are you really going to plunder the town? Can you… look, you can't destroy one of the houses."

Jack sighed, "Friends of yours live here?"

"You could say that, but see that house?" Will asked, pointing. "Please, you and your men must spare the people inside."

Jack reluctantly nodded, "Very well, I'll tell my crew not to harm the occupants of the house."

Thank you Jack," Will said softly.

"You can thank me if my men actually listen to me."

Will sighed; personally he'd rather stay on the Black Pearl, but he knew Jack wanted them to go. Jack was afraid they'd get hurt. "So do you have a plan on how Elizabeth and I should avoid getting caught in your acts of piracy?"

Jack shrugged, "That's a good question. Look, if you get caught by my crew, show them the mark, they'll accept it now."

He shrugged, "And if we get caught by someone else as we get off?"

Jack stared; he hadn't thought of that. His mind raced as he considered the danger this presented. People would instantly be suspicious of anyone who came off his ship- or any pirate ship for that matter- and if they checked Will they would find the brand and he would be in trouble.

"Okay, new plan, wait till we're done plundering, then, as we're sailing away, you and Elizabeth jump ship- off the plank would be best- swim to shore and the people will think we're evil, you're lucky, and no one will be the wiser."

Will raised his eyebrows, "And you actually think that will work? Have you been stranded on any islands lately? You know the sun tends to mess with your mind…"

Jack gave him a look, "No I haven't been stranded, …well lately. And yes it could work… depending on how stupid or drunk the onlookers are. So you and Elizabeth wait here. We'll be back soon." With that he turned and started down the gangplank, humming softly to himself.

"Fun, fun, fun," Will muttered sarcastically to himself.

Jack was quite pleased with himself. The haul of gold he had collected, the liquor he'd… borrowed, and the fact he now knew that Black Andrew had only been here a week earlier put him in high spirits. He took another swig of whatever he had and grimaced; it was a little dry for his liking, but it still had a pretty good kick.

As he rounded a corner, he spotted a large group of his men standing in a circle, laughing and taunting whoever or whatever was in the middle. Slowly he drew nearer, and saw that it was a small boy, who couldn't have been more than ten years old. The boy's shoulder length, dirty blonde hair was pushed behind his ears but it was his eyes that caught Jack's attention.

The boy's dark brown eyes were huge and filled with fear, and though Jack had never before seen the boy, the eyes seemed strangely familiar. His bravery was also admirable; despite being surrounded by eight pirates, the child's small fists were clenched tight and he looked ready to deck the first person to attack him. Something about the kid pulled at Jack's heart and he sighed.

"Hey guys, leave the kid alone. Go… raid a bar or something," Jack said, pushing his way through the circle to the kid. His men sighed; they had looked forward to gutting the boy.

His crew started to disperse but one stopped and said, "Hey Captain? I overheard some people talking. They're looking for that friend of yours. They plan on killing him on sight for piracy when they find him. Don't ask me how they knew, but you might want to keep him away from here." With that he followed the others into the night.

Jack watched him go. 'Okay, another change of plans. Will and Elizabeth are _not_ getting off here.' He then turned his attention to the child he'd saved.

"You… you're a pirate aren't you?" the boy stammered. When Jack nodded, the boy broke into a grin, "Neat, a real live pirate! What's your name?"

Jack almost laughed at the boy's curiosity. "Aren't you afraid of pirates?"

The child shook his head. "My parents told me pirates can be good people. They knew a few. I'm named for one they knew. My name's Jack but some people call me Jackie. What's your name?" The boy finally asked again.

Jack stared, surprised by the amount of words the boy had managed to fit into one breath, "Well… my name is Jack. Captain Jack Sparrow."

The child's eyes widened further. "You're Captain Jack Sparrow?" he asked in awe. "Wow, you're the man my mom and dad named me after."

An idea slowly seeped into Jack's mind. "How old are you, Jack," he asked. It felt strange calling someone else by his name.

"Eight," the boy replied.

'Eight,' Jack thought. 'That would be about right.' "Uh, what's your full name, kid?"

Little Jack- or Jackie as he was sometimes called, much to his dismay- drew himself up, obviously proud of whom he was. "My name is Jack Turner."

Even though Jack had been expecting it, the surprise of hearing it confirmed shocked him momentarily speechless. Finally he managed, "You mean, you're the son of Will and Elizabeth Turner?"

The boy nodded eagerly.

Jack was shocked. Why had Will and Elizabeth named their son after him; he wasn't the most respectable person to name a kid after. And why hadn't they told him? 'Now I know why the eyes look so familiar; they look exactly like Will's.'

"Um, Captain Sparrow? Have you been to Port Royal lately? I'm sure my parents would love to see you," Jackie said, blinking up at the pirate, only starting to notice hoe late it was.

Jack nodded, "As a matter of fact, I was there recently. Your parents are here with me; do you want to see them? They're on my ship, follow me." He started off towards the docks, careful not to leave the boy behind.

"This is awesome," the child said as he hurried after. "The first pirate I meet is the one I'm named for."

Jack glanced behind him to the boy, "What do you mean, first pirate? I ain't the first you've met."

"Your men don't count, they just wanted to kill me."

A smile slid across the pirate's face, "No, you've known one for far longer. He is a far better pirate and person than I am."

"A better pirate? Impossible! Dad's told me all about you, no one is better than you. Besides, I know not any other pirate," Jackie insisted.

"Then he forgot to tell you about himself. Your father is the best pirate I know, and the best person," Jack informed the child with a smile.

It didn't surprise him that Will had overlooked the important role he'd played in defeating Barbossa.

"Dad? A… pirate?" the boy stammered. He then shook his head, "No way, he's a blacksmith."

"Say what you will, but your father's a pirate, born and bred. That means, so are you."

Jackie paused, even stopped walking. "Dad's a pirate? And so am I?" His brown eyes suddenly hardened, carrying a surprisingly deadly glint for an eight-year-old. "I'll have to teach those kids at school a lesson then," he murmured to himself.

Jack Sparrow sighed and motioned for the boy to continue to follow him. "Ah, look boy, I don't want you to be get'n in trouble for what I told ya, so let's avoid picking a fight with the kids at your school, savvy?"

The boy shook his head, "No! They called pirates fat, lazy, drunk, lustful morons who have no wits and violent tendencies." He then lowered his eyes and voice and whispered, "They also pick on me because I like pirates and they insult my parents 'cause they're friends with you."

Jack looked surprised; that Will and Elizabeth had suffered hard feelings from their fellow citizens because of him… that thought didn't sit well with him. He looked at the child that shared his name before he asked, "Do your parents know the problems these other children have been giving you?"

"No," Jackie replied, "I never told them. If I had, they would have done something about it, and if that had happened, their parents would have taken steps against my mom and dad. I didn't want them to get into trouble."

The Captain of the Black Pearl nodded, "Well, I understand that you don't want to get them in trouble, but I think they should know. You're their son; they deserve to know what's goin' on." He glanced ahead, "There's my ship; your parents are there."

"Wow!" Jackie breathed. He turned his huge brown eyes towards Jack, "Is that the Black Pearl?" His tone was one of awed reverence as he spoke the name of Jack's ship.

"Yeah, the one and only. Come on, let's go see to your parents," Jack said, leading the boy to the ship. "You know, I've been wondering something. Why were your parents at Port Royal and you here?"

The boy sighed, "My school's here; it's one of the best schools around. Mom and dad were only at Port Royal so they could sell the house, close up my dad's shop, and get ready to move." He sighed, "I don't like the other kids in my class though, so I'd rather have stayed there."

Jack nodded in understanding, "Well, here we are. The Black Pearl." He swept his hand forward and grinned, showing his gold-capped teeth. He started up the gangplank then stopped and turned back to the boy, who was no longer following. "Come on, kid. Let's get on board."

Jackie nodded, "Okay." He followed behind the Captain and gently ran his hand through his dirty blonde hair. "You sure mom and dad are here?"

As the boy asked this, a voice from behind asked, "Hey Jack, who's the kid?"

Jack grinned from ear to ear, "come on Will, don't you recognize your own kid?"

Will stepped forward, out of the shadow, to get a better look at the boy standing behind the pirate. "Jack?" he asked the child in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

The boy grinned, and then fiercely hugged his father. "Captain Sparrow said you were here. He let me come."

Will looked over at Jack and said, "Oh, did he now?" Jack gave his friend a sheepish grin. Will snorted softly and shook his head with a slight roll of his eyes. "Well, Jackie, unfortunately we're getting ready to leave, so take a quick look around before-."

"Actually, Will, you're not getting off here," Jack interrupted. "The people here know you are a pirate. A few of them are even planning to kill you on sight." He glanced down, and then continued, "Sorry, but I can't let you and Elizabeth get off here. It's too dangerous."

"They know?" Will repeated in surprise. "How?"

As Jack shrugged, Jackie - still holding his father - looked up and asked, "So it's true? You really are a pirate?"

Will sighed and gently took his son by the shoulders and pushed him back as he knelt before the eight-year-old. "Yes, I am a pirate. Jackie, you can't tell anyone. When people find out they will try to arrest me, or worse. If they do, you and your mother will be subject to the scorn of our neighbors because of me."

Jackie nodded, "I understand." Will nodded and gently released his son. Jack, now behind the child, nudged him slightly. The boy glanced behind him and Captain Sparrow nodded, urging the boy to speak. "Uh, dad? In some ways it's already too late for that."

"What do you mean, Jack?" It was obvious he was concerned by the tone in his son's voice because he didn't use his son's nickname.

Jack Turner shrugged slightly. "The other kids at school… they make fun of me, because we aren't afraid of pirates and because I think they're cool." His face turned slightly red, "Sorry for lying to you, but that's why I get in fights at school and come home beat up. It's not because the older kids don't like me, but because of pirates."

"Wait," Will said concern mixing with anger, "are you telling me the reason you came home with a broken arm last year is because you are not afraid of pirates?"

The boy nodded, eyes down, and then he looked up. "Dad, I want to come with you and mom. I have no desire to go to that school again."

Will shook his head, "I'm sorry, Jackie. It's too dangerous. Besides, you can't miss school."

The child looked disappointed. "Dad," he whined, "Captain Sparrow said I could come." He looked at the pirate behind him, his gaze begging the man to help him.

Jack's eyes widened as Will turned and glared at him. When he had made the offer to the boy, he hadn't been expecting it to be used in an argument between father and son, but it was too late now. He sighed and said, "Don't worry Will, the kid would be fine here with us. He won't be in the way. Besides, he'll learn things here that he'd never learn at school."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Will muttered under his breath. He then looked back at his son before saying, "You can't just not go to school tomorrow. Someone needs to inform your teacher. I can't go; the people here know I'm a pirate and they'd murder me on sight. Your mother won't want to take you out of school; besides, she can't go either, once again because I am a pirate.

Jack glanced between his best friend and the eight-year-old. Finally he could stand the disappointed look on the boy's face no longer. "I could take him and talk to his teacher," he offered. "The people around here don't realize I'm a pirate, it could work."

Will watched the Black Pearl's captain, doubt showing in his eyes. "I don't know, Jack. I think we should ask Elizabeth about this."

"Ask me what?" Elizabeth asked, coming up from below deck. Her eyes then lit upon her son standing in front of Captain Sparrow. "Jackie!" she exclaimed, rushing forward and engulfing her son in a huge hug.

The boy returned the embrace, and then said softly, "Mom, I told you, I want you to call me Jack, not Jackie." He stared up at his mother, his huge, dark brown eyes unblinking.

"Fine then, _Jack_," she said, emphasizing her son's proper name. "What are you doing here?"

"He's here because I brought him onboard," Jack Sparrow said, before either Turner could answer. "We were just, eh, discussing the idea of your son joining us on the Black Pearl for a while." He grinned and winked at the boy before turning serious again.

"What about school?" Elizabeth asked immediately. "You can't just skip school."

Once again, Jack answered, "Well love, I was planning on accompanying the kid 'ere to school tomorrow and have a talk with his teacher." He realized the awkwardness of him calling Elizabeth love a few seconds too late, although fortunately neither Will or Elizabeth looked offended.

Elizabeth regarded Jack with the same dubious look Will had, "Talk with his teacher?"

Jack nodded and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Sure, I'll just let her- or him- know Jack here will be unable to attend school for awhile."

She looked at her and could clearly read the pleading in his eyes. It was obvious the boy's sole desire was to accompany them on the Black Pearl, even if only for a little while. "Fine," she finally agreed, "but I expect you to study on board, okay?"

Jackie nodded and looked up at the Captain. "Thank you." Captain Sparrow nodded and turned towards the helm.

"Jack," Will called, causing his friend to stop and turn back, "be civil. Please?"

Jack scoffed slightly, "Will, have you ever known me not to be?"

TBC

Well so long for now! I'll update soon. I hope you're all enjoying this story. It's probably why I got a B in Algebra 2. It's not easy to learn trigonometry when your busy torturing fictional characters.

Hope to hear from everyone again. See ya later!


	3. From One Port to Another

OMG! Everyone came back and reviewed! Plus, I got NEW reviewers! I FEEL LOVED! Everyone gets a HUGE invisible cookie. Enjoy, its air flavored. Hmmm, hope no one's allergic…

Again, I must thank **Sanquinedarkness666 **for typing this for me. It never would have been posted without her.

**Smithy – **Thank you for clearing that up for me. Well, I hope you enjoy chapter 3.

**Obliviongates – **Glad you like Jackie. I wasn't sure if he'd go over well or not. Hope this wait wasn't too long for you, 'cause here's the next chapter.

**Staci – **Yep, the angst should start in the … next chapter I think. Weeeee. Torture is fun.

**Williz – **I'm cool? Wow! I think that's gotta be the first time I've heard that. OMG, I feel so special. Glad you like his name. Here's the next chapter.

**Zareen – **I hope the part with the teacher doesn't disappoint. …Although, personally I think it'd be cool to have Jack "talk" to some of my teachers. #cough# Algebra 2 teacher #cough#

**Em – **Thanks for the compliment. Here's the next chapter.

Here's chapter 3. It's not as good as I'd like ('cause I'm really picky) but it does it's job, which is to get everything ready for the torture. Yay, torture!

Anyway read, and once you're done PLEASE review!

**--------------------**

**BlackSword**

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**Chapter 3**

As Jack had promised, he was now taking young Jack Turner to school. To himself alone would he admit the main reason for accompanying the boy; he wanted to _warn_ some of the other kids to leave Jackie alone.

"There it is," Jackie said softly. "School," his voice carried the distaste of anyone who was regularly bullied.

"Hey, Jackie," Jack said, stopping the boy, "look, I've never been to a school before, so could you convince that teacher of yours to let me sit in? Before I tell her of your… upcoming absence?"

"Sure, Captain Sparrow."

"One other thing," Jack said. While we're there, call me Captain Jack. They'll know I'm a pirate if they hear the name Sparrow."

Jackie nodded, "Okay, Captain Sp… Jack." He quickly led the pirate to the school and led him inside. "Wait here," he instructed the pirate as they reached the doorway.

Jack remained, but carefully watched the boy, curious as to what would happen.

Jackie made his way through the schoolroom, ignoring the dark looks he got from his classmates. At least, he did until one stepped in front of him and, placing one hand on the smaller boy's chest, asked, "What are you doing here? I half expected you to have been murdered by those pirates you love so much, the bunch of dirt bags."

Jackie was about to retort when their teacher interrupted, "Skyler, none of that now. Wait until after school." Jackie shot Skyler a triumphant look, and then quickly followed his teacher back to her desk.

"Mrs. Lawrence?"

The woman looked up, "Yes, Jackie?"

"Well, I have a friend with me, actually he's more my father's friend, but… can he stay here with us. He wishes to see the school."

"May I inquire the name of this man?"

"His name is Captain Jack. He's a… merchant mariner," Jackie lied, using the occupational name his father often used for pirates when he didn't want others to know their true jobs.

"A captain? Merchant mariner?" his teacher repeated. "Of course he may stay. We would love to have someone of such high esteem here."

Jackie grinned and motioned for Jack to come in. As he did, the class gasped as they caught sight of the pirate, and even the teacher stared as he walked in. Jack smiled and made a slight sweeping bow, then seated himself in a chair next to Jackie's desk.

"Well, Captain Jack, it is an honor to have you here. Now class, we were discussing civil law in the Caribbean. Today, in light of the events of last night, we will learn about the laws against piracy and the consequences for committing acts of piracy."

Jack's eyes widened slightly, Oh, great. Why'd they have to discuss this today?' He glanced at Jackie, and tried to gauge the boy's reaction. The boy looked distinctly unpleased.

"Now, piracy consists of uncommisioned robbery and/or plunder of towns for one's own personal gain. The robbery can occur on sea or off, that matters not. Now, who can tell me the punishment for such acts?"

The boy named Skyler's hand shot up. The teacher nodded at him, indicating she was ready for his answer. The boy said, "The pirates are first arrested, then tried and either hung or beheaded." When he finished saying this, he turned towards Jackie and gave an evil smirk, mimicking someone getting hung.

"Skyler!" The teacher's voice held a sharp edge, "not in the classroom."

"Uh, I was merely indicating, ma'am, that all pirates should be wiped off the face of this world. Make a great holiday of it. The pirates get bloody, horrible deaths and we all celebrate," Skyler quickly lied.

Mrs. Lawrence sighed, "A noble wish, one many of us share. Unfortunately it's not that easy. If it were… oh what a glorious day it would be. For all of us." She had developed a slightly wistful look and sighed again.

Jackie looked shocked. "Surely you don't mean that Mrs. Lawrence!" he exclaimed. "Pirates aren't the dregs you believe them to be! They-"

"Jackie! Hold your tongue! I did not give you permission to speak," his teacher interrupted. The other children snickered softly as Jackie turned slightly red from the rebuke. "Now, since we are discussing pirates…Captain Jack, would you please share with us your opinions of them?"

Jack hesitated, unsure of what to do. If he told them his true opinion, trouble would start, and if he didn't, he would cause Jackie to look even more a fool to his classmates. "Well," he said slowly, "pirates do break the law, but that doesn't make them the scoundrels most think of them as." He paused, and then sighed; he was tired of playing this pretending game and now that he had seen that Jackie had been right about the way the other kids had treated him, he no longer had to play along. "You don't even know a pirate when you see one. You all thought I was a respectable man 'till just now when I let you know I was a pirate."

A series of gasps echoed through the room and Jack heard Skyler mutter, "Figures."

"And you," Jack continued, pointing his now drawn sword at Skyler, "you'd best leave Jackie alone- either that or memorize how to count to ten, because if you pick on him again, you'll only be able to count to eight on your fingers. Savvy?"

Skyler stared speechless at him, not comprehending the last word and too scared to say anything in response to what he had understood.

"Also," Jack said, turning to the teacher, "Jackie will be out of school for a while. He'll be with me aboard my ship. Savvy?"

It was obvious she didn't understand what "savvy" meant either because she just stared at him.

"Come on, Jackie. Time for us to be off," Jack said, re-sheathing his sword. He turned and noticed several children blocking his exit. "Boo!" he said softly. It had the desired effect though, and the smallest three boys actually screamed in terror as they scrambled out of his way.

"Jack," an exasperated voice said, "I believe I told you to be civil. That does not constitute scaring these children to death."

A slight grin formed on Jack's face and he turned, "Aw, Will. I was just 'aving a bit of fun with 'em."

Will shook his head and rolled his eyes. Seriousness filled his eyes then, and he said, "Jack, you can't just walk out the door. There are people waiting outside for you. They'll kill you if they see you."

Jack stiffened slightly, "Will, why are you here then?" His eyes flickered slightly to Will's wrist, letting his friend know what he meant.

Obviously Will understood, because his left hand reached over and gently rubbed the brand hidden on his wrist. His eyes clouded slightly in thought, then they cleared as he turned his attention back to his son and Jack. "Come on, we can escape out one of the other ways."

Jack nodded, then glanced back at Skyler, "Remember what I said." He turned back to Will and bowed slightly, "Lead the way." His drunken smile filled his face as he said this.

Will shook his head slightly; it was about all one could do when dealing with Jack and his seemingly drunken moods. Will knew Jack was sober, though it often didn't seem that way. He glanced down at his son and said, "Come on, Jackie. You're coming as well."

Jackie's teacher suddenly snapped out of her shock. "Mr. Turner," she snapped, "it is one thing to involve yourself in acts of piracy, but it is another entirely to involve your son. I must protest. If you choose to involve yourself with those… those bastards," she hissed, shocking everyone- Jack included- with her language, "that is your choice, but leave your son out of it."

Jackie's large brown eyes grew even wider. "My father is not a bastard!" he exploded. His face was tight with anger and his small hands balled into fists.

Mrs. Lawrence looked sharply at the boy, "Jackie! Watch your language! Besides, I didn't call him that, I called Jack Sparrow and the other pirates that."

Jackie's eyes narrowed, "_Captain_ Sparrow is not a bastard and neither are pirates. And for your information-" The boy was cut off as his father's hand slipped over his mouth, stopping him from continuing. Only then did he realize how close he had come to blowing his father's secret.

His teacher raised her eyebrows. "What were you going to say, Jackie?" she inquired.

The boy looked down. "Nothing," he mumbled once his father took his hand off his mouth.

Skyler- mistaking Jackie's unwillingness to talk as because of language instead of being unable to tell his father's secret- snorted. "Don't worry about it, Jackie," he sneered in a slightly offhand tone, "whatever you were going to say, it's probably nothing I haven't already called you." It didn't seem to matter to him that Jack was still in the room, along with Will.

Jackie and Will both tensed and Jack quickly put a hand on Will's shoulder to keep him from going after the boy that had spoken so flippantly about his son. Jackie- though he had no one to stop him- merely stood there, hands balled into fists, staring at his tormenter.

"Will," Jack said quietly, trying to distract him from Skyler, "you said we needed to get out of here. How do you want us to do this?"

Will shook off his anger and answered, "This way. Follow me. Come on, Jackie." Jackie looked over at his father and quickly grabbed his hand. Jack couldn't help but smile; Jackie certainly enjoyed being close to his father. Will glanced at Jackie's teacher, "Excuse us."

With that, the three of them left, following Will out a little used side door to avoid the people outside waiting to kill them.

Once they were back aboard the Black Pearl, the large ship left port. Jackie was with his mother, giving Jack and Will a chance to talk some more in private.

"That kid was a jerk," Jack commented.

Will nodded his agreement but didn't say anything. Jack noticed and decided to move the subject away from Skyler.

"Don't worry, I guarantee you Jackie will be at the top of his class when he gets back. He'll learn more, out here, by experience, than he would in a stuffy classroom," he assured his friend.

"I know," Will said quietly. He glanced up at Jack, and Jack noticed a look of question in Will's eyes. "Jack," he began uncertainly, "when you go to port next, to drop us off, may I stay on the Black Pearl with you? I want Jackie and Elizabeth to stay at the port, but I would like to help you take care of Blacksword."

Jack's eyes widened slightly, though he had been expecting the request. "It'll be dangerous. Are you sure you want to risk yourself like this?" He shrugged slightly, "After all, you have a wife and kid to think about."

"I'm sure," Will repeated, nodding his head as he did so. "You know I can help. I would like to stay."

Jack slowly nodded, "I can always use someone I can trust, and I'll admit, you're one of the only people I trust. I trust you with my life. The only reason I'm hesitant about this is because I don't want you to get hurt."

Will laughed slightly, "Don't worry about that. I'm a better swordsman than you. But on the off chance that something does happen to me, I want you to look after Elizabeth and Jackie for me, okay?"

Jack froze momentarily. He knew he had to say yes but was hesitant to do so. If he did, it was like admitting that Will could be hurt, and that was something he tried not to think about- a subject he tried to all together avoid.

"Will," he sighed," you know I will, but nothing's going to happen to you." He paused, and then added, "If the impossible happens, and I die, I want you to have the Pearl. Or if you don't want her, could you give her to AnaMaria or Gibbs? I left them in Tortuga somewhere."

Will laughed slightly, "That's even less likely than something happening to me."

Jack grinned, "That's why I said if the impossible should happen." His smile slowly faded, "Actually," he said seriously- which was rare for him, "It seems more likely to happen. Honestly, how many scars do you have, not from being a blacksmith? I guarantee you I have more, because I've been hurt more than you."

Will thought for a moment before answering, "One. The one on my palm from when we got rid of the curse." At that, he turned his hand to Jack, showing the faint scar that still remained from his last adventure with the pirate.

Jack nodded and showed his palm to Will; he also had a similar scar from the curse. In order for Jack to kill Barbossa, they had both had to sacrifice some of their blood to the Aztec gods, place it on a cursed coin, and replace it in the chest. Both the scars and the memories were a constant reminder of the consequences of greed.

"You only have one?" Jack asked in surprise. "I have more than that on half of an arm." He sighed, and then shrugged, "Well, I guess I shouldn't expect different from the best swordsman in the Caribbean."

Will's face turned slightly red at the compliment. "I doubt I'm the best in the Caribbean,"

Jack couldn't help but smile at his friend's modesty. Will probably _was_ the best swordsman in the Caribbean, if not the whole western hemisphere. Of course, Jack would never admit Will was better than him though. "You're right, 'cause you'll never be better than me."

Will raised his eyebrows, "Oh, really?" A smirk slid across his face. "I seem to think otherwise."

Jack gave Will one of his infuriating grins. "You do, huh? Well we've got to fix that. Get out your sword."

Will slowly pulled out his sword; he knew the fight was only for fun and that Jack wouldn't be trying to hurt him. "Are you sure, Jack? I wouldn't want to embarrass you."

"You? Embarrass me? Not probable," Jack laughed. In truth, though, he knew it was actually quite probable Will would embarrass him- not on purpose of course, but simply because of his skill. He pulled out his own sword. He was looking forward to this.

The last time the two of them had fought had been for real. They both had held no reservations about killing the other. Of course that had been before they had become friends.

Jack smiled as he remembered that day, and he could tell by the look on Will's face that the younger man was caught up in the same memory. "I won that fight, you know," Jack couldn't resist pointing out.

"You cheated," Will reminded him. His hand tightened on the hilt of the sword as he waited for Jack's first move.

"So I did," Jack admitted, "but not this time." With that he lunged, bringing his sword down hard. Will spun out of the way and feinted to the left before reversing and coming hard to the right. Jack managed to block both, but he couldn't help the shock that rolled through his arm as he did so. Will might not be the strongest person around, but his technique and skill more than made up for it.

Jack attacked again, knowing if Will was having to defend himself, he couldn't be attacking him. Jack pressed his advantage as long as he could. Will backed up a step then stopped, refusing to give anymore ground. He blocked them, quickly moving his sword to intercept Jack's blade. Jack stepped closer, trying to force the young blacksmith to retreat further.

Will blocked the last blow of the short sequence Jack used, and as he did, to the pirate's complete surprise, he flipped his wrist, locking the blades together, ending Jack's attacks. He then spun his sword and drove Jack backwards. He didn't give the pirate a chance to recover, but continued to attack.

Finally, one of Will's attacks slipped past Jack's defense and the young man had to stop his blade short. The sword stopped less than an inch from Jack's throat. Jack stood, dark eyes wide, staring at the sword at his throat in surprise. Will moved the blade away and re-sheathed his sword.

"Not bad," Jack finally said as he slowly put away his sword. 'Not bad at all,' he thought to himself. It was obvious that Will was even better than he had been nine years ago. "When have you found time to practice? You're married and have a kid."

"Doesn't mean I can't practice," he said with a shrug. "Besides, I've been teaching Elizabeth how."

Jack nodded slowly, "What about Jackie? Have you worked with him at all?" He had a feeling that once the boy learned to fight, the boy- like his father- would far surpass the skills of most other fighters in the Caribbean, possibly the world.

"A little. The only reason I haven't done more with him is because Elizabeth doesn't want him to learn how yet. She believes he shouldn't learn how to fight until he gets older," Will said.

"Bet he's upset about that," Jack said with a smile. "The kid seems to be the sort of person who enjoys things like that… he also seems like the type who doesn't like being told he can't do something because he's too young or too small."

Will nodded, rolling his eyes as he did so. "To a fault. If anyone tells him he can't, goes and tries to prove them wrong. He's gotten hurt many times doing that." He sighed and shook his head.

Jack smiled slightly, "Almost reminds me of you. About being told you can't do something." Before Will could protest he quickly changed the subject. "After we take care of Blacksword, you are going to want me to drop you off at the port we're going to leave Elizabeth and Jackie right?" Part of him hoped Will would say no; the same part that had often wished Will would join him on the Black Pearl, but he knew better than to expect it.

Will didn't answer immediately. Personally, he wanted to stay on the ship, but needed to talk to Elizabeth. He would stay on the Black Pearl if she was unwilling to, but he also didn't know if Jack would be willing to have all of them on board. "I'm not sure," he said finally, "but if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like to stop by there. Where are you going to drop them off, anyway?"

Jack forced himself not to smile and he answered, "We're going to stop at Port Bryant next. They should be safe there."

Will nodded his agreement, "I've heard Port Bryant is a lot like Port Royal. They'll be fine there."

Jack decided to ask something that had been bothering him. "Where was Commodore Norrington when the crew and I were raiding Port Royal? I half expected him to come and try to arrest me. We met with no resistance; where were the guards?"

"Commodore Norrington is on his way to England to report to the Queen on the status of the city. The guards either went with him or remained behind." A slight sneer flickered across his face, "The one's still there are cowards."

"In other words, you were completely defenseless," Jack said, sounding slightly upset at the thought. Not that it bothered him that he hadn't met with resistance, but it did bother him that if it had been anyone else they wouldn't have had any resistance either. "Don't worry, Port Bryant will be better protected, trust me. I speak from existence."

"Trust you?" Will teased, "That can't be good."

"Hey, I'm dishonest, therefore I can be trusted to…" he stopped when he noticed the look on Will's face, "I guess you've already heard that, haven't you?"

Will shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Pirates."

Black Andrew, or Blacksword as those outside his crew called him, scowled darkly at his first mate. "You," he hissed angrily, "were supposed to kill Captain Sparrow when he made port in Delothe."

"But Captain Andrew," Chris, his first mate, whimpered, "he had a kid with him. The boy was in the way. Even I won't kill a child in cold blood."

"Then you should have found some other opportunity to kill him. Take him by surprise and gut him," Black Andrew yelled, green eyes flashing.

"I tried," he yelled back. "Once again, there were complications. There was another man with him. From what I heard, he is one of the best fighters in the Caribbean. He ruined my only other chance to kill Sparrow."

Black Andrew's hand clenched tight in anger, and as it did, a glowing aura engulfed his fist. He slammed it into the table in front of him and a crack echoed through his quarters. When he moved his fist, the aura had disappeared, leaving behind a wide crack through the thick mahogany table and a deep, fist-shaped burn that had sunk slightly into it.

Chris had shrunk away from his captain, which was quite comical to see, given his large size. His blue eyes were huge and filled with fear as Black Andrew turned back to him.

"First of all, it was your job to make sure he died, we don't want him to interfere with our plans. Second of all, you insult my talents. _I_ am the best swordsman in the Caribbean, not somebody who associates with the likes of Captain Sparrow."

"Will Turner," Chris supplied. "His father was Bootstrap Bill Turner, one of Sparrow's original crew."

Black Andrew shrugged, "His family is of no matter. But… he seems as if he could be of interest. Where are they landing next?"

Chris smiled; this, at least, he did know. "They will dock at Port Bryant next."

A smile slid across Black Andrew's face, one that made a chill run up Chris' spine. "Perfect," he hissed evilly, "we'll follow them there. You kill Captain Sparrow, and I'll be left to kill Will Turner, and reclaim the title of the best swordsman in the Caribbean." The smile disappeared, "Warn the crew. We're heading to Port Bryant."

Jack sat alone in his room, trying to decide which bottle of rum to drink. Will, Elizabeth, and Jackie were in port; Will was only making sure his wife and son got settled in before he came back. Jack had just decided which bottle and was in the process of uncorking it when a soft knock interrupted him. "Come in," he grunted.

Miguel and Paul slowly came in and both looked as if they needed to ask him something. "Captain," Miguel said, hand resting on the hilt of the sword strapped to his side, "why are we still here?"

"Yeah, we dropped off your friends, wouldn't it be wise to leave before the guards become… aware of our presence here?" Paul pointed out. Jack gave a half smile; in front of most, Paul attempted to sound like a pirate- uneducated- but in truth, Paul was actually one of the best educated pirates Jack had met- after Miguel.

"I'm waiting," Jack explained, "because Will shall be accompanying us on our… little adventure."

"He's coming with us?" Miguel repeated. "Are you certain that is wise, Captain?" Miguel's eyes widened as he realized he had just questioned the Captain, something punishable by death on some ships.

"It's alright Miguel. And so you know, I am also hesitant to have him with us, but he insists so…" Jack shrugged, "what can I do?"

Paul's green eyes flickered, "He's a blacksmith, how can he assist us? He'll just get himself killed."

"He may be a blacksmith, bur he's also the best swordsman in the Caribbean. He's better than me even," Jack said. He would admit it to them, but never to Will. "Don't tell him I admitted it though," he added

Miguel and Paul stared at him, then glanced back at each other. "Better than you?" Miguel asked.

"Better than me," Jack confirmed. It was difficult for him to suppress the smile that wanted to slide across his face; Miguel and Paul much resembled fish at the moment, what with their mouths opening and closing in shock. "Don't worry, with him along, we've got a much better chance of defeating Blacksword."

Miguel cocked his head, as if he thought he heard something. "Sounds like he's back. Good, now we can leave and start the hunt."

Jack nodded and began to dismiss the two, but then stopped. "Remember, you're not supposed to say a word about his superior swordsmanship." They nodded their compliance, and then continued on their way out the door.

Jack smiled as he made his own way out; this would be interesting, and he was looking forward to sharing another adventure with Will.

One Week Later 

"It simply doesn't get much better than this," Jack sighed happily. He swayed even more than normal at the moment, because of the simple fact that he was slightly drunk. Not enough that he passed out or had no clue what was going on, just enough that he was slightly more… perky than normal.

Will eyed the bottle of rum Jack still held cautiously. "Jack, I think you had best stop now. I don't want to have to drag you back to the Pearl."

Miguel and Paul- who had decided to accompany Jack and Will on this small stop- laughed. "Don't worry, boy," Paul reassured Will, "the Captain knows his limits."

"And I've got two or three bottles left to go before I reach mine, Jack put in quickly. He smiled, "At least this time we found out some useful information to go along with the rum."

Will rolled his eyes, "The bartender suggested a place where we _might_ be able to find out more about Blacksword's 'curse'. I'm not expecting much."

"Don't worry so much. We paid him for the information; it'll be worth it."

"God, you're drunk," Will said, shaking his head. "You really should stop." He sighed, but it sounded slightly more like a groan as Jack drained the rest of the bottle, tossing the now empty bottle aside and pulling out another full bottle. Will reached over and pulled the rum away from the pirate captain. "Stop, Jack," he commanded, handing the rum to Miguel and Paul.

Jack stared at him in surprise, then pouted slightly. His dark eyes flickered to the bottle his crew held, but he just sighed. "Let's go," he said, now eager to get going because he no longer had his rum. "The cave he told us about is just on the other side of town."

Jack slowly led Will, Miguel, and Paul to the dark, dank cave on the other side of town. He stood at the mouth of the cave, staring thoughtfully at the gaping opening. Will stood silently at his side, his own mind reflecting much of what was in Jack's.

The last time they had wound up in a cave, Jack had wound up with a sword running through his chest and only the small fact that he had been cursed had saved his life. He'd felt the pain- the curse hadn't protected him from that- bur death had eluded him.

"Are you okay?" Will asked softly, carefully watching Jack. He couldn't but wonder if maybe they had found something Jack was afraid of.

"Fine, just trying to remember what those… hangy-down thingies are called," Jack quickly lied. Will might be his closest friend, but he was a pirate and had his pride, so he occasionally found lying to the other man justified.

Will smiled- he knew Jack was lying but didn't feel like saying anything. "They're called stalactites, Jack. Stalactites," he informed the pirate.

"Stalactites? Okay, I learned something today."

The small group then entered the cave, carefully picking their way through the loose rock and slippery stones. "What exactly… are we… looking for?" Paul asked as he struggled to keep his feet when several rocks under him shifted sharply.

Jack shrugged, "Not sure. I'm just hoping this floor holds; it seems a little… unsteady." As he said this, the rock he was on shifted sideways, pitching him to the side. He started to fall, but was quickly grabbed and hauled back up before he could hit the ground.

"I told you, you had too much to drink," Will said, gently letting go of Jack after making sure he wouldn't topple over again. Jack smiled his thanks, and Will nodded, brushing off the thanks. He hadn't done anything Jack wouldn't do for him.

After that, the four men were even more careful and they slowly drew closer to the main chamber. "Wow," Paul gasped slightly, "this place is huge!"

The others didn't respond; they were too awestruck to hear. The cavern was easily 5 miles wide and 2 miles deep. The ceiling was 3 miles high, and they could only guess at how deep in the earth they were.

"Okay, let's take a look around and see if the bartender gave us accurate information," Will said, shaking himself free of the shock that had engulfed them all. The cave was anything but similar to the cave in which he and Jack had fought Barbossa, but none-the-less, Will was eager to finish so they could leave, and he knew Jack felt the same.

"Yeah, let's split up so we can get out of here," Jack agreed. He slowly left the small group, heading toward one end of the cavern. "Call if you find anything."

For about two hours, the four men searched the cavern, yielding no results. Then, as the third hour started to roll around, Miguel yelled, "I think I found something."

Paul, Will, and Jack came over and stood behind him. Miguel was staring at the wall and, on it, was small writing in a language they didn't recognize.

"Well, this helps," Jack muttered darkly. "The bartender didn't tell us we'd need a translator."

Miguel stared at him. "You can't read it?" he asked, his voice echoing hid surprise. "It's only basic Latin."

"I don't know Latin. All I know is good ole' English and a little of the oriental languages."

Miguel looked at Paul, and then Will, both of who shook their heads. "I'll read it to you," he said with a sigh, "since it seems I'm the only one who can."

His dark eyes turned back to the writing, quickly scanning it. Jack glanced at Will, who shrugged slightly. Latin was beyond him.

"According to this, 'to he who sells that which makes him special, the benefit shall come from the… lord of the dead'," Miguel said, voice lowering slightly.

Jack's caramel eyes widened. "Creepy," he commented, earning a soft laugh from Paul and Miguel.

Will, though, asked, "Can you tell what origin this is? It doesn't sound like something from around here."

Miguel shrugged, not understanding why it mattered. "If I had my guess, I'd say Roman. Probably someone who still believed in the ancient Roman gods was upset about the conversion to Catholicism and came to the Caribbean to get away from the church. That's just my guess."

"So you're saying that, if this is to be believed, Blacksword sold his soul to the lord of Death of the Romans-" Jack said.

"Uh, Pluto, I believe," Will quickly interrupted. Miguel nodded; it was the most logical choice. After all, Pluto was the god of the underworld and the keeper of dead souls.

"Okay, sold his soul to Pluto," Jack continued, "and that's why he has his powers."

"Probably explains his heartlessness too," Paul commented.

"Probably," Will agreed. He then turned back to Miguel and asked, "Is there any way for us to get rid of his powers?"

Miguel shrugged and studied the writing some more. "I don't think so," he slowly said. "Unless we can find a way to restore his soul."

Jack was already shaking his head, "First of all, I don't believe in that Roman god shit. Second, even if I did, I wouldn't go into their version of hell for the opportunity to restore Blacksword's soul. So I guess we'll just fight him, bloody powers and all." He glanced at the others to see their reaction.

Will shrugged, "Either way, I'm in. Doesn't matter to me."

Paul and Miguel looked at each other, and then back. "You are the Captain; we will follow you through whatever you lead us."

Jack smiled, "Let's get out of here. We have discovered all we're going to. Plus, I'm ready for more rum."

The four quickly made their way back through the cave, moving much faster now that they knew which stones were sturdy and which weren't. As they approached the mouth of the cave, they noticed five figures blocking the way.

"Captain Sparrow, I presume?" asked the first, obviously the leader. He wore a long, blue coat- one quite like the one Commodore Norrington wore- and a light powdered wig marking his status. "Commodore Higsby," he said, offering his hand to the pirate.

Jack seemed slightly taken aback and at first he gazed at the outstretched hand warily. Slowly though, he shook it. "That's right. These here are my crew: Miguel Sanchez and Paul Langley. That's Will Turner, a friend of mine."

Commodore Higsby nodded, "Good, I was afraid Turner might not have been with you anymore. Good."

Jack eyed the man suspiciously, "You're not going to arrest us, are you?" He tensed slightly, as did Paul and Miguel. Only Will remained calm and relaxed.

Higsby laughed, "No, quite on the contrary, actually. I've come to enlist your help."

"And them?" Jack asked, nodding to the men behind the Commodore.

"Them? They came to protect me, nothing more."

"You said you needed help," Will reminded, speaking for the first time.

"Yes, I did. Captain Sparrow, you and Mr. Turner docked at Port Bryant about a week ago, correct?"

"What of it? We didn't raid or plunder if that's what you're suggesting," Jack said defensively.

"That's not what I meant. But another group did, and-"

"And you want Jack to help you get the pirate who did it?" Will guessed.

"Yes, it takes a pirate to know a pirate. The city is okay, though, and almost everyone is accounted for," Higsby answered.

"_Almost_?" Will repeated, fear starting to seep into his voice as he realized if this had occurred after he had dropped off Elizabeth and Jackie, they would have been in grave danger.

"Don't worry, Mr. Turner. Your wife is fine; safe and sound," Higsby assured him.

"What about my-"

"Anyway," Higsby interrupted, continuing to explain the situation, "what I mean by 'almost' is that we have reason to believe one person in was taken as hostage. We want you to rescue them."

"Okay," Jack slowly answered, his mind still stuck on the fact that Higsby had purposefully avoided Will's question. "What's in it for me?"

"Nothing," answered Higsby, "but since you are already after the pirate, we figured you could rescue him as well."

"Already after him? You mean it was Blacksword that attacked the city?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"Yes, and since he came there after you and Mr. Turner, we thought it's only fair that you help us."

"Came after us? How do you mean?" Jack asked.

"The reason he attacked was because he wanted to kill you and Mr. Turner. He was looking for the two of you," Higsby said darkly.

Jack glanced at Will and a silent understanding passed between them. If this was their fault, then they didn't have much choice- it was their job to help.

"Okay, we'll help," Jack finally said, "so who do we need to pick up? What poor, unfortunate soul did he take?"

Higsby smirked grimly, "Jack Turner."

TBC


	4. It's Best to Keep Your Mouth Shut

HELLO EVERYONE! We're back for yet another chapter! Oh, I feel loved!

Okay, first warning. This chapter begins the torture. Granted, yes, this is only slight child abuse, but if you can't handle that you might want to stop reading NOW because this is as light as the torture gets.

Okay, anyone still here? #looks around# Wow, guess I'm not the only one who likes torture.

Oh, by the way, sorry about the whole lack of page breaks when skipping to a different scene. They're SUPPOSED to be in there. I'm trying something to new to see if I can get some in, so bare with me.

Thanks so much for the reviews. You people that keep coming back just absolutely make my day.

**Smithy – **I like that comparison. I was about to die laughing when I read that. Yet it's so true. And don't worry, Elizabeth's fine. It's no fun to torture the girls. Poor guys, though. They're wonderful targets. Well, I hope you like this chapter and thanks for coming back to review. I love you for it.

**Obliviongates – **Yes, the child was kidnapped. It sets everything up. And thank you for liking the whole "Lord of Death" thing. I was afraid it would come off as a bit corny. I also appreciate the criticism. Knowing what's wrong helps to make a better writer, right? I hope this chapter is good though. Leave you're reviews. They make me feel special.

**Williz** – Eeeek, is right. Poor kid… By the way, you have earned a MAJOR hug! #mentally squeezes Williz tight# Hope that didn't hurt. Here, you also get a bonus cookie. Enjoy, it's chocolate chip. #hands Williz invisible cookie#

**Staci – **Wait no longer, here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it.

**Sanquinedarkness666 **– I love you Abby! Thank you for typing this! And thanks for point out the darn page break thingies. I'm working on that now. BTW, found another story you have to read. It's called I'm Bored. It's a LotR fic. Very funny. Disturbing, but funny.

Anyways, thanks to all for reviewing. PLEASE do so again Please? #puppy dog pout# PLEASE?

PS. No I don't own this, but Sanquinedarkness and I have a plot to kidnap Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Once we do, I'll let you know. Unless, that is, you want to get involved in this plot, 'cause honestly we have no way of getting to Johnny's house in France or Orlando's house in England. So if you have a magic teleporter, could we please borrow it? We'll share them with you.

**---------------------**

**BlackSword**

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**Chapter 4**

Blacksword covered his ears and groaned softly. The child Chris and Ricky had brought was screaming and crying, and had been doing so for three days now. "Ricky, bring the boy here. I'll make him be quiet."

Ricky ran and eagerly complied- as long as it would shut the kid up, he'd do it. Black Andrew sighed slightly, now regretting ordering Chris and Ricky to capture him. When they had reached Port Bryant, Jack and Will had already left more than six days earlier, so he had ordered his crew- Chris and Ricky- to kidnap the child so they would have leverage over the two.

The door to his cabin opened and Ricky came in, dragging the kicking, crying boy with him. "Let me go!" he screamed, his face red as his chest heaved as he gasped for breath in between his sobs. "My father is going to get you!"

Andrew smirked at the boy, "Why do you think we brought you here? I _want_ your dad to come after me."

The boy screamed and continued to sob; his crying now half in terror and half in frustration.

Andrew's fist tightened and he could no longer hold back his anger. His fist swung around and connected with the eight-years-olds face. It split both his lips and threw him backwards, cutting deep into the back of his head as it slammed into the wall behind. "Shut up, Jack," he snarled.

Jackie stopped screaming but continued crying, hand moving up and gently feeling the blood that was draining down his face from his lips. Then his and moved to the back of his skull. When he removed it, it was covered with blood.

Black Andrew stood and walked in front of the boy, staring into his dark brown eyes. "Look, I'm not afraid to hurt you. It's something I'll enjoy." He reached down and grabbed him by the wrist, jerking him to his feet. "Now, answer my questions and I won't hurt you anymore today."

Jackie was shaking in fear and was squirming, trying to slide his wrist from Black Andrew's grasp. All it accomplished was having Black Andrew tighten his hold. "Let go!" he whimpered sadly.

"Not until you tell me what I want to know," the pirate said.

"Can your father fight switch?" he demanded of the boy. "Answer me," he yelled when Jackie didn't answer. This time when there was no answer, he decided to do something else.

As Jackie felt Blacksword's hand clamp even harder on his wrist, he also became aware of a slight burning sensation. Within seconds, though, the burning had built beyond what he could take and he resumed crying loudly.

"Answer me," Black Andrew repeated. "I'll only stop after you answer my questions. Now, can your father fight switch, or can't he?"

"He can," Jackie finally whimpered, but instead of the burning sensation subsiding, it only increased in heat.

"Which side is he best with?" the captain continued to press the boy.

"He's right-handed, dad's a right-handed fighter." Jackie could feel the soft skin on his wrist as it continued to burn.

"What is Captain Sparrow's connection to your father? What is he willing to do to save him? Tell me Jack!"

By now, Jackie was having trouble breathing, both because of his racking sobs and the pain in his wrist. "Dad… dad is one of… Captain Sparrow's only… friends. He has been since they met… nine years ago."

Black Andrew was starting to get frustrated with the boy's crying. "What is Captain Sparrow willing to do to save him?" he repeated the second part of his last question.

"I don't know," Jackie half-screamed, half-cried. "Why can't you leave me alone?"

Blacksword finally released his death grip on the boy's wrist, but before he could relax, he had grabbed hold of the child's throat and picked him up, off his feet, and held him there. "You are very lucky I have to keep you alive until I get Sparrow and your father. Otherwise, you'd already be dead." As a warning to the boy, he let his power's flare briefly before letting the boy drop to the floor as he let go.

Jackie was curled into a tight ball on the ground. The fingers of his left hand were carefully feeling the huge burn on his right wrist. Slowly, then, his hand slipped up to his neck and gently ran across the burn there. Both burns were serious, but the one on his wrist was defiantly the most painful.

Blacksword glanced at Ricky, "Take young Jack to the brig. He'll be spending most of his time there."

Jack Turner looked up, brown eyes huge and filled with tears. "Please," he whimpered softly, "I just want to go home."

An evil smirk flickered across the pirate's face. "That," he said, "is something I will beat out of you."

Finally, Jackie managed to gain the courage to say what was on his mind, "My dad's going to beat the hell out of you. So will Captain Sparrow."

Andrew backhanded the boy again, throwing him to the ground, and once again cracking the back of his skull. The impact widened the gash on the back of Jackie's head and left him lying stunned and barely conscious on the ground. "I don't think so," Blacksword replied, grinning. He snapped his fingers and Ricky approached him cautiously. "Tell Chris to come see me," he whispered, " but first drop him off in the brig." He nodded towards Jackie, whose consciousness had now fled his young body.

"Yes, Captain," Ricky said as he picked up the child. He left and a few minutes later, Chris came in.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?"

"Yes, I have a special job for you." Black Andrew watched as Chris' blue eyes widened. "I would like for you to remain in the brig and gain the boy's trust. It may come in handy, later."

"You want me to pretend to be a prisoner? And become friends with the bloody whelp?"

"Would you rather be put in the brig for questioning your captain?"

Chris shook his head vigorously, "No, sir."

"Good."

* * *

Jack felt horrible, worse than he had since Barbossa had stolen the Pearl He had promised Will that Elizabeth and Jackie would be safe in Port Bryant, but now Jackie had been kidnapped by Blacksword- a pirate known for his cruel treatment of his prisoners.

He couldn't bring himself to tell Will just how small a chance it was that they would ever get his son back alive and in one piece. Most of Blacksword's prisoners died within the first month of imprisonment, and about half of that before the first two weeks were over.

He sighed and stood, leaving his cabin to find the young blacksmith. He needed to talk to Will before anything else happened. He felt incredibly guilty for what had happened.

Finally, he found Will on the deck, leaning against the rail, eyes closed. Jack slowly approached him and quietly leaned against the railing next to him. "Hey Will, are you okay?"

Will didn't answer; he didn't even open his eyes. In fact Jack wondered if Will had even heard him. Jack noticed Will was shaking slightly. He sighed softly and gently placed his hand on the younger man's back. That kind of contact was something Jack normally tried to avoid, but this was something he couldn't now. "It'll be okay, Will. We'll get your son back," he assured him.

"Yes, but alive?" Will asked miserably, finally opening his eyes. Jack could see the tears in them and, to his surprise; it made his heart tighten at the sight.

"Will, he's just a kid," Jack began. "And he's probably not going to live out the week," Will said darkly.

"What I meant was that Blacksword's not going to treat him as he does other prisoners."

Will stared miserably at the pirate, "Do you really believe that?" He closed his eyes and hung his head. "What am I going to tell Elizabeth?"

Jack turned to Will and reached out, gently forcing Will to look up as he took his face in his hand and tipped it up. "Will, listen to me. You're not going to have to tell Elizabeth anything. We'll get your son back. And he's going to be fine."

"You don't know that," Will said sadly.

"If he is anything like his father, he'll be fine," Jack said. Then, in an attempt to change the subject he said, "So, when you get back to Port Bryant with Jackie, what are you going to do? Are you going to be a blacksmith there?"

"I don't want to be there."

"Huh?" Jack asked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to stay in Port Bryant."

Jack was confused now, and his caramel colored eyes widened. "Why didn't you say so before? We could have dropped you off anywhere you-"

"You don't understand what I'm trying to say, Jack." He sighed in frustration; he couldn't figure out how to explain how he felt.

"I… I don't want to stay at port." He sighed and walked away from the rail. "I…" his eyes widened as he thought of something that might help him. He pushed up his sleeve and showed Jack the brand on his wrist; "I didn't just have you do this because I felt like… like I had to have it, since I'd committed acts of piracy. I… I wanted it."

Jack watched, slight understanding slowly dawning on him. "You… you want to be a pirate?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes!" Will exclaimed, grinning. Jack had figured it out; that meant he didn't have to attempt to explain it.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Jack inquired. "I could drop you off in Tortuga, you'll be able to find someone who needs a new crewman." A thought struck him then, "Or, even better, you could stay with me aboard the Black Pearl. I'd be honored to have you as part of my crew."

Will's grin got wider, "I'm not going to Tortuga. I'll stay on the Pearl." His smile faded, "What are we going to do, Jack? How are going to find Blacksword?"

Jack sighed; at least he had taken Will's mind off that for a moment. "I'm not really sure. They had to double back to get to Port Bryant after us. So I believe we need to double back as well."

Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Jack in all honesty, what are the odds of us finding Blacksword before he kills Jackie?"

Jack blinked in surprise, "Do you really want to know?" When Will nodded, he reluctantly continued, "There's probably about a one in twenty chance he'll still be alive."

Will's face paled about two shades at this. Jack grimaced slightly; he hated being the one to tell people things that- at least people he knew and cared about, which actually weren't many. "Look Will, we'll get him back and he'll be fine. Then we'll drop him of with Elizabeth and come back and kill Blacksword."

"Come back?"

"Of course. Your son's safety comes first, right?" he pointed out.

Will slowly nodded but said, "I didn't expect you to be as concerned for his safety as you are."

Jack actually smiled and didn't seem terribly insulted. "Will, I may be a selfish pirate, but I'm not completely so. Besides," his grin broadened. "Can't let my namesake get hurt, can I?" He turned serious, "You're one of my only friends. I'll not let anything harm you or your family."

"Thanks, Jack."

Jack shrugged, not meeting Will's eyes. It was embarrassing to have someone compliment him, especially someone respectable such as Will complimenting a pirate like him. He was, in all honesty, still not accustomed to having people care about him, so it sometimes made him uneasy when people demonstrated it. Friendship was not a normal thing for him.

"Don't worry about it."

"Do you think we'll catch them?"

"I know we will."

* * *

Jackie shuddered helplessly in the cold, dark cell he'd been in. He was wet and miserable and had been for the past two hours.

The whole day had been a living hell for him. At the beginning of the day, Black Andrew had taken him, strapped him to the mast, and beaten him- first with his fists, then with a whip. Which was why his face, chest, and torso were a mass of bruises and blood and his back was covered in criss-crossing welts.

After that, they had taken him in the lifeboat, lowered him off the boat, dunked him in the water and held him there. The salt water had burned every cut in his small body- he knew the water actually helped, but being held under for two minutes hadn't. When they had finally pulled him out, he'd been unconscious and half-drowned.

Now, he'd been shoved into a cell with five men, three of whom had threatened to eat him, they were so hungry. Which was why- even though most of the others were asleep- he was sitting awake, fearfully eyeing the one that was awake.

"Hey kid," the man suddenly said, making Jackie jump slightly, "you can go to sleep. I'll watch over you."

Jackie shook his head before remembering the other couldn't see him. "No, I'm not tired," he lied. He leaned back against the wall then immediately regretted it as the welts made contact and screamed at him in agony. He winced softly.

"Are you okay?" the man actually sounded concerned.

"Fine," the little boy ground out, scooting away from the wall.

"Sure," the man said, obviously not believing him. He came closer to the boy and held out his hand. "My name's Chris. What's yours?"

Jackie hesitated, and then shook the hand, "Jack" he answered, "Jack Turner."

"You're just a kid, aren't you?"

"I'm eight." He started to lean back again, and then stopped himself, catching himself on his hands. His right wrist spasmed slightly as weight fell on it, and the charred skin and muscle protested. He leaned up and placed his hands in his lap, letting his left hand gently rub his right.

"I don't think you're okay. Let me see."

"It's too dark," Jackie protested.

"That's not a problem," Chris said. Suddenly the room was lit up as he struck a match and lit a small candle. He placed it on the floor and walked closer to the boy. He was surprised to see the small face covered in blood and bruises and a long cut running through his lips. Plus, the boy's clothes were ragged and torn and drenched in blood and he could see some of the injuries underneath.

"Take off your shirt, Jack. I need to see the extent of your injuries," Chris ordered.

Slowly Jackie obeyed, peeling the bloody shirt off and wincing as it aggravated some of the welts on his back. Chris knelt in front of him and carefully looked him over. To Jackie's surprise, the man tore off the sleeves of his shirt and, after setting one on the floor, gently began cleaning the blood off his body.

Chris felt the boy tense as he cleaned the wounds, especially when he passed over a particularly sore muscle. Most of the blood on his chest had come from his face when his nose had begun to bleed and the cuts on his lips had reopened. His back was another story.

The whip marks on his back were deep and painful and as Chris cleaned them, he couldn't help but flinch. This time, the blood covered the rag before he finished. Then he took the second and tore it into shreds and bound the deepest wounds to help control the bleeding.

"You should be fine," Chris said quietly. He smiled when he saw the exhaustion in his eyes. "Sleep, Jack. I'll make sure they don't eat you."

Again the boy shook his head, "I'm fine." Jackie knew he was afraid to be able to sleep.

Chris shrugged, "Okay, it's up to you."

* * *

Will was carefully watching the sea ahead, hoping to see any sign of Blacksword's ship, The Assassin. Now they had a better idea of where it should be, but he still chafed at the delay. It had been three day's since he had been told of his son's kidnapping and each day had drained away part of his hope at getting the boy back.

To his surprise, Jack had seemed just as concerned as him. The pirate had done everything in his power to find Blacksword's ship as quickly as possible. He had even avoided getting drunk.

He glanced back at the pirate and couldn't help but smile. Jack was at the wheel, but as he drove he hummed, 'Yo ho, yo ho, A Pirate's Life for Me.' While swaying back and forth.

Jack noticed Will watching him and he quickly stopped humming. "What?" he asked innocently.

"You still remember that song?"

"Of course, I even kept my promise to Elizabeth and taught it to the crew. I love that song!"

Will laughed softly but it was a soft, unhappy laugh, one that reflected his pain and misery.

Jack smiled sadly, understanding the emotions behind the younger man's laugh. At twenty-nine, Will was about twelve years younger than Jack, and therefore Jack didn't have any problems reading the younger man. "Like I've told you before, he'll be fine, Will. You just have to keep up your hope."

Will hung his head, feeling his heart tighten slightly. It hurt, thinking of the danger his son was in and the pain he was probably going through. "I know Jack, but it's hard. I… what will Elizabeth think if he comes back bloody and bruised?"

"She'll be glad her husband brought him back alive and in one piece," Jack said.

"But what if he's not? What if he's seriously hurt or… or…" he couldn't bring himself to finish.

"Will, don't even worry about it because it's not going to happen. You can 'what if' until the Pearl turns back to lumber but it doesn't matter. He'll be fine, stop worrying."

Will stared at Jack, his dark brown eyes meeting his friends caramel ones. "It's not as easy as you make it sound."

Jack sighed and ran his ring-covered hand through his hair. "Will, do you need a drink?" he asked suddenly. "Cause I've got some rum on board."

"Is that what you think, Jack? That I need a drink? That the best way for me to deal with this is to get drunk?" Will sounded upset. "I've never gotten drunk in my whole life."

"And I doubt you've ever had you're only son kidnapped by a murderous pirate," Jack pointed out. He winced immediately after he'd finished, knowing he'd said the wring thing.

Will's eyes both darkened and seemed to lose an edge of hope he had tried to hold on to. "Thanks, Jack, that's just what I wanted to hear," he said sarcastically, voice edged with misery.

"I'm sorry, Will," Jack quickly said. "I'm so sorry, but I didn't mean anything by it. Look, all it takes for someone to get drunk is a crisis, no matter how small or insignificant. The first time I got drunk was when I got marooned on that island when Barbossa stole the Pearl, which, compared to what's happening with you, is nothing.

Will had turned away from Jack and started away. He stopped when he heard Jack trying to apologize and explain. "I don't intend to get drunk," he said darkly. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Jack watched him miserably; once again the differences between pirate and blacksmith were obvious. Will had been raised in England and taught to hate pirates. Jack… well, he definitely hadn't been raised the same. Probably, the only reason Will had saved Jack from jail was because he was the only one who could help him save Elizabeth after Barbossa had kidnapped her. Later, a second reason Will had stayed with Jack was because Jack had known his father.

"Will…" Jack began, "when I said about you getting drunk… I-"

"I'm not getting drunk," Will said again.

"Yes, you have established that point," Jack said, frustration starting to show in his voice, "but what I meant was maybe it would be better for me if you got drunk. Then at least you'd stop moping around and stop bothering me." He realized a few seconds too late he had spoken the last part out loud.

Will's eyes were dark and they flickered slightly before he spun on his heel and stalked off.

"Damn it," Jack hissed to himself. "Sparrow, you've really got to learn to keep your big mouth shut." In truth, he really didn't think Will was bothering him but in his frustration it had come out that way.

He started to follow Will but then stopped. Will needed time to himself, and he was willing to grant him that, but if Will hadn't come around in five hours he was going to have a talk with him.

TBC

Hehe. Sometimes, I love messing with friendships. It's so fun!

Please review!

See ya'll next time!

What can I say? I live down South. Lower Alabama, South. Ya'll just slipped in, I swear. You just can't seem to escape from it. Ahhhhh! It's after me! RUN! #runs away screaming# (yes, I know I have problems)

See ya.


	5. From Bad to Worse

Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been out of town and there were #gasp# no computers! It was torture.

Well, here's the next chapter. Now, the real problem gets kicked off. Yes, the child being kidnapped was NOT the big problem. Hehehe.

You know what I realized? This chapter only ends on page 54 out of 207. We've got a ways to go yet.

Anyways thank you to everyone for their reviews. I love them all.

**Williz – **Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. #gives light pat on shoulder# All better! Have another cookie and enjoy this chapter! And little Jack will have his moment.

**Staci – **Thanks for the compliment. Hopefully you'll like this chapter as well. Keep reading, and everything will come together.

**Trinilee Greenleaf – **Welcome, and thanks so much for the review. I love new reviewers. I love you! Oh yeah, there's plenty of Will torture. The child torture should pretty much be over. I'm glad you like the story. Here's the next chapter.

**Sanquinedarkness666 – **Weee. We like child torture! And torture in general… Yes, I do like making friends pissed at each other. It makes me happy. …Whatever happened to spikey anyways…? It's not often you find a band instrument capable of inflicting that kind of pain… And well, my family IS going to Alaska next year, so I'll be able to steal my uncle's plane then and THEN we can kidnap Johnny and Orlando! HAHA!

Whatever happened to Smithy and Obliviongates? I hope they're okay. Although… if last chapter gave them problems, the next several are even heavier one the torture… Hopefully all readers will make it out okay.

Okay, I've blabbered enough. Onto the story!

**---------------------**

**BlackSword**

**---------------------**

**Chapter 5**

He hurt… he hurt and he was cold; that's all he noticed. The hunger and exhaustion had disappeared under the assault from these two feelings.

He hadn't slept in a week, at first because he been afraid the others would eat him, then because his hunger had kept him awake, and now the pain that had engulfed his body refused to release him from its hold, even for only a few hours. Jackie moaned and placed his head against the cell wall.

Finally- about two days ago- Blacksword had realized the lack of sleep was severely affecting the boy's health, so he had put him in a cell to himself with the hopes of him getting some sleep, but it wasn't helping.

Jackie's head throbbed constantly due to the cuts and minor concussion he had. The cut on his lips hadn't healed and was probably going to leave a scar. Then there were the whip marks on his back, deep and instantly painful, along with the serious burns on his neck and wrist. He also suspected that at least one rib was broken because something kept shifting every time he moved.

"Hey, Jack, are you awake?"

"Yes," Jackie answered quietly. Chris was the only prisoner who seemed to care about his condition.

"You need to sleep. After all, when your father and captain and Captain Sparrow come to rescue you, you want to be able to walk, don't you?" Chris pointed out.

"I can't sleep," Jackie said, unable to control the quaver in his voice as his shivering grew stronger. "It's too cold and I hurt too much."

"Your ribs again? Or your back this time?"

"Both. And my neck and wrist," he admitted. As he did, he gently ran his hand over his wrist. He grimaced as a wave of pain rolled through him.

Suddenly, another wave of pain racked him, and would have sent him to his knees had he not already been on them. As it was, he couldn't control the half-scream that escaped him.

"Jack, are you there."

His half-moan told the man more than his words could have. His head felt as if it might explode and the pain combined with his concussion was causing him to see stars. He started crying.

"Jack, be quiet. If Blacksword hears you crying, he'll beat you again," Chris warned.

"I don't care, why can't he just kill me?"

"He wants you to be here for when Captain Sparrow and your father get here."

Jackie sighed, hoping to dull the pain in his body. "Dad and Captain Sparrow are going to kill Blacksword."

"We'll see about that."

* * *

Jack smiled; Blacksword's ship was in sight. He knew exactly how they were going to get Jackie back and now the only thing that remained besides the actual rescue was convincing Will to go along with his plan. He hadn't yet gotten a chance to apologize to the blacksmith and it now seemed as if he wouldn't until they had saved the kid from Blacksword. Jack could only hope the small argument they'd had wouldn't affect their rescue of Jackie.

He turned and saw Will, standing and staring at The Assassin- Blacksword's ship. Jack edged closer to him and softly asked, "Are you ready?"

Will nodded curtly and Jack sighed. He had been hoping for more of an answer, anything that would indicate Will was no longer upset about what he had said.

Miguel slowly approached them. The crew had sensed the tension between the two, so they had been careful not to bother either. "Captain?" he questioned uncertainly, ""What do you want us to do?"

"You," Jack instructed without looking at the man, "will stay here. Will and me shall be going by our onesies." He was carefully watching his friend, trying yo gauge his reaction.

Miguel nodded and walked away to tell the rest of the crew. Jack continued to watch Will until it was time for them to go. "Come on, let's go and find your son."

They had anchored the Pearl next to the Assassin and now Jack and Will had to quickly sneak on board, get Jackie, and get back on the Pearl before Blacksword and his crew realized they were there.

Jack quickly led Will aboard and down inside the ship. The Assassin, compared to the Pearl, was huge. Fortunately Jack had been aboard ships of this design and since most were eerily similar, he was confident he could find the brig with no problems.

It took him a few more minutes than he'd brag about to find it, but when he did, he couldn't help but smile. Will began to push past him, but Jack quickly stopped him. "Will," he whispered, "stay here and keep an eye out for his crew. I don't trust this, it's been too easy."

Will shook his head, "Jack he's my son. I-"

"Will, you're just going to have to trust me. Stay here!" Jack said.

Will trusted Jack, honestly he did, but for some reason, hearing someone tell him that made it seem like trusting the pirate was a mistake. Will started to protest but it died away as he caught sight of the look in the older man's caramel eyes. Slowly he nodded in agreement.

Jack relaxed and started into the brig. He stopped for a moment and quietly said, "Be careful Will. Keep a good eye out."

He quickly entered the brig, closing the door behind him. The door was yet another testament to just how much bigger the Assassin was then the Pearl.

Jack wouldn't tell Will, but the reason he had been against him coming with him into the brig was because he was afraid. Afraid of what would happen if when they got there, Jackie wasn't or was dead. He wanted to find out the state the boy was in first.

He carefully studied the cells and realized in dull alarm that Jackie wasn't there.

"What are you looking for?" one of the prisoners asked,

Jack turned to him, "I'm looking for a kid. Jack Turner, do you know where he is?"

The man nodded, "Sure, he's over there.' He pointed to the side and towards a door on the other end of the room. "There is an isolated cell in there. Blacksword put him there this morning."

Jack nodded and quickly went to the second door, then hesitated slightly. He was slightly afraid of what he would find. Finally, taking a deep breath, he slowly opened the door and walked in.

Jack stopped as he caught sight of the hunched figure of Will's son. The boy was huddled over on his knees, back towards Jack. He stared at the boy in shock. His clothes were in rags and Jack could see the boy's injuries through the tears in his shirt.

"Jack?" he whispered, "Jackie, are you okay?"

The boy's head snapped up and he turned. "Captain Sparrow?" Jackie's voice echoed his surprise

Jack Sparrow stared at him, unable to take his eyes off the child. Jackie's face was a mass of bruises and the split lip provided the blood that covered his chin. He could also see the deep burn on the boy's neck and wrist.

"What happened? What did they do to you?"

Jackie's brown eyes filed with tears, "He beat me, Captain Sparrow. He wouldn't stop. He said it was because he wanted leverage over you and my dad. He wants to kill you." With that he burst out crying. "He wants to kill you," he repeated miserably.

"Don't worry, Jackie. You'll be fine. Blacksword won't be able to hurt you anymore. Your father and I are going to get you out of here."

Jackie continued crying but stood up, his legs shaking uncontrollably as he gripped the bars. "Dad's here? Where is he?" e asked in between sobs.

"He's outside, keeping watch. Why does Blacksword want him, or do you know?"

"He… he's jealous of him. He wants to… reclaim his title as… best swordsman in the Caribbean."

Jack's face tightened. Will was in danger solely because he was an extraordinary fighter. That wasn't right; even he as a pirate recognized it. Trying to hide his anger from the boy, he turned and began searching for some keys to release him. There were none.

"Jackie, I'm going to pick the lock, so hang in okay?"

Jackie nodded, "Hurry, Captain Sparrow. There's no telling when Blacksword will get here."

"Don't worry. I am."

* * *

Something wasn't right, he could feel it.

Will shifted anxiously, eyes darting to the left and right. He was having a difficult time suppressing the urge to go into the brig, despite what Jack had told him, and see his son.

He sighed softly. He wasn't mad at Jack, not really. A little upset, yes, but mad… no. But he didn't understand why Jack hadn't allowed him to be the one to get Jackie, though.

The wood of the ship creaked slightly, causing Will to jump and spin around. Nothing. Will slowly let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd held. If only Jack would hurry, they could off this death trap. Slowly he relaxed and started to turn back when the cold, steel tip of a sword came to rest on his back directly behind his heart.

"Well, well, Mr. Turner. I didn't expect you to get here so soon," a voice hissed from behind. "Where's Captain Sparrow?"

Will didn't answer, didn't even move, except for his hand, which slowly inched closer to the sword strapped to his side. "You wish to fight?" the voice asked, seeing his movement. "Very well. I so wanted to face off against you.

* * *

"Got it," Jack whispered as the lock clicked open.

Jackie- still holding on to the bars of the cell for support- quietly walked out as fast as his exhausted, beaten body could move. When he was out- to Jack's ultimate surprise- the boy hugged him. "Thank you."

Jack didn't exactly know how to respond to the child's affectionate display so he just stood there for a few seconds before slowly hugging him back. "You're welcome," he said, his voice still carrying hints of surprise.

After a few more seconds, Jackie pushed away and asked, "Where's dad? Don't you need to get him so we can leave?"

Jack didn't bother to tell the boy he had already told him where Will was, instead he simply told him again. "Now look," he continued, "I'm going to go outside, find Will, and then we're off this matchbox."

"Matchbox?"

"Never mind." Jack went to the door but stopped and turned back. "If I have to go find him, stay here. I'll be back soon." He started to open the door but he paused. He heard something, and it was coming from outside.

There was the sound of something hard and sharp sliding through something soft, followed by the sound of something hitting the ground.

He waited, wanting to see if the sounds continued. They didn't. He waited a few more seconds to give whoever was out there the chance to leave and Will to… do whatever. Finally he pulled the door open and stepped out of the brig-

And found himself staring into a pair of hard green eyes. Jack completely froze for a moment, and then quickly slammed the door behind him, so Jackie would be safe inside.

"Hello, Captain Sparrow. Fancy meeting you here."

"Hello, Blacksword," Jack said, is voice reflecting his contempt and his lip curling into a snarl.

"You know, I don't take kindly to people sneaking aboard me ship."

"Well, since I didn't sneak, we shouldn't have a problem." He glanced around and suddenly realized he didn't know where Will was. "Where's Will?" he asked, his heart twisting inexplicably inside.

"He's not here."

Jack's fear heightened a few more notches. "What do you mean?"

He knew Will wouldn't abandon him, especially since Jackie was with him. Blacksword had to be lying, or at least twisting the truth, but he still could not control his fear as it filled him, no matter how irrational it might be.

"He's not here," Blacksword repeated, lips twisting into a heartless smirk.

"Where is he?" Jack demanded again. He would not be put off by Blacksword. He was going to find Will.

Blacksword shook his head with a soft snort. You're not going to stop are you? You can't talk to him?"

"Why not? What did you do to him?"

Blacksword's smirk grew wider. "Although," he continued, ignoring Jack's most recent question, "I could probably arrange for you to be with him again. It wouldn't be too difficult."

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked. His fear was now reaching the breaking point and he was beginning to become anxious to find the blacksmith.

Blacksword grinned and stepped forward, letting his sword come to rest on Jack's throat. "All I'd have to do is slit your throat."

Jack froze, his heart stopping completely. "Wh… what?" he stammered when he finally regained his breath.

The evil pirate removed the blade from Jack's throat. "Though, part of me wonders whether or not you'd see him at all. You'd rot in hell, and somehow I doubt he is," he didn't answer Jack's question directly, but indirectly he did.

Jack stared at him, blinking, not comprehending- or rather not wanting to comprehend.

Blacksword suddenly stepped to the side and, for the second time in less than as many minutes, Jack's heart stopped. "Oh, God no."

Will was sprawled face down on the deck, lying in a pool of blood. Or rather three pools of blood. Jack stared, hoping to see some sign of movement from the younger man. There was none, nothing at all to ease his worry.

The pools of blood scared Jack, more so than he'd imagined possible. One centered under his stomach, one under his chest, and the last… under his neck.

Jack rushed forward and dropped to his knees, ignoring the threat Blacksword still posed. "Will?" asked Jack, panic evident in his voice, "Will!" His fingers came to rest on Will's neck, desperately searching for a pulse… anything to tell him Will was alive.

Jack couldn't feel anything and his fingers started shaking. It was a strangely horrifying feeling; his hands covered in the blood of his best friend, who, as far as he can tell, was dead. He looked up and stared at Blacksword. "You bastard," he hissed.

Blacksword smiled, "Now all I have to do to complete my revenge is kill you."

Jack slowly gained his feet, his hand reaching for his sword, when suddenly he remembered Jackie, still in the brig, waiting for him to get back. He hesitated for a moment, wondering what he should do.

Quickly, Jack dodged around Blacksword and, jerking the door open, darted inside. He quickly slammed the door behind him, locking it. As soon as he had, there was the sound of Blacksword slamming into it in an attempt to break it down. "Get back here, Sparrow!" he yelled.

"Captain Sparrow? I thought you were trying to find my dad?"

Jack glanced at the boy and noticed that the child seemed even more exhausted than before. "Jackie… I… uh…" he stopped, realizing he didn't know how to explain what had happened. How was he supposed to tell an eight-year-old his father was dead? "Will… he uh… he's going to meet us later," he quickly lied.

The boy nodded, then flinched as Blacksword again threw himself into the door.

Jack looked around, desperately trying to find a way out. Finally, his gaze came to rest on a small porthole. "Jackie, can you fit through?"

Jackie nodded again. "Easily."

Jack didn't waste any time. He quickly pushed the boy towards the window, giving him instructions as he did. "Look, climb outside and hang on. I'm coming right behind you."

Quickly obeying, the boy clambered through and called back, "It may be a little tight, but I think you can make it."

Jack pulled off his tri-pointed hat and slowly wiggled through. Finally he popped out, but he couldn't grab onto the side of the ship and he fell into the water.

He bobbed back up and quickly stuffed his soaked hat back on his head. He looked up, his eyes spotting the boy still balanced on the ledge. Jackie was swaying slightly, and had turned several shades paler. "Jackie?" he asked in concern. "Jackie, come on, jump."

The child obeyed, but it was about as much falling as it was jumping. Jack's eyes widened when the boy didn't immediately pop back up. "Uh, that's not good," he muttered. He dove under the water and struggled to see in the salty water. Jack soon spotted him, slowly sinking into the depths of the Caribbean.

He swam down, grabbed the boy, and pulled him to the surface. Part of him had begun to panic- there was _no way_ he was going to lose his best and only friend and his best friend's son in one day. He checked the boy's breathing and was relieved to find it strong and steady. Jackie had merely passed out, the stress of his injuries and the lack of sleep finally caught up with him.

Supporting the boy, he swam to the side of the Pearl and waited. Miguel, Paul, and several other crewmembers tossed him a rope and carefully pulled him up, still holding Jackie. Paul took the boy and put him in Jack's cabin while Miguel and the others quickly made sure the Pearl got clear of the Assassin before picking up speed.

Once they had put some distance between themselves and the other ship, Miguel turned his attention to Jack. Jack was staring at his hands, despite the fact the water had washed the blood off.

"Uh, Captain?" he began uncertainly. "Where's Mr. Turner? Wasn't he with you?"

Jack looked up and his eyes told Miguel everything. "He's dead," he whispered brokenly. "I shouldn't have left him alone. He's dead. Good Lord, what am I going to tell Elizabeth and Jackie?"

Miguel stared sympathetically at him. "Tell the boy now. The truth, too. Let him go ahead and get over him."

"I… I can't tell him. If he starts crying… I can't," Jack was shaking his head. The pain inside was beginning to eat him up. Will was dead. The one person who didn't judge him because of what he was, the person who actually cared about him, was dead.

He could still see Will's body, lying motionless, face down on the deck of the Assassin, his blood covering the deck and Black Andrew's sword. He remembered the shock and denial that had swept through him as he'd searched for a pulse and found none.

Jack closed his eyes, trying both to close out the images and suppress the overwhelming urge to cry. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't.

"Captain, you must tell the boy," Miguel said. "You were there, he trusts you. It has to be you."

"Why? Why can't you tell him?"

Miguel looked pointedly at him. "I just told you. It's your responsibility."

"My responsibility?" Jack asked bitterly. "You know what just happened because it was _my responsibility_ to lead? We now have an eight-year-old without a father because I thought it was my responsibility to tell him what to do."

"Will accepted your leadership. He knew the danger involved before he got into it. It's not your fault he's dead," Miguel informed him.

"I told him to stand watch!" Jack shrieked. "He wanted to come into the brig with me but I wouldn't let him. It's my fault!"

Miguel sighed angrily. He needed to find a way to convince his Captain that it wasn't his fault. But how could he reason with someone who wouldn't listen to him?

"Captain, you have to tell him. No one else will."

Jack sighed miserably. The sadness that consumed him threatened to cause him to cry. "Fine, I'll tell him. Set the course for Tortuga, I need a drink."

* * *

"Uh, Captain? Did you mean to let Sparrow get away?" Ricky asked uncertainly.

Chris, who was no longer in the brig- since Jackie wasn't there, there was no need to be- elbowed him, trying to get him to be quiet.

"No," Black Andrew admitted. "I assumed he would demand revenge for young Turner's "death" immediately. I did not expect for him to try to save the boy."

Chris fought down the urge to say, 'Well, you know what happens when you assume.'

"But," Black Andrew continued, "We now have an even better opportunity to defeat him."

"How do you know he'll come looking for us?" Ricky asked.

"Because I "killed" his only friend, if what that whelp told us was true," Blacksword patiently explained. "Sooner or later, he'll come for us, and then…" a cold smirk flashed across his face, "we'll destroy him."

"Wouldn't sooner be more preferable than later?" Ricky asked.

"Of course," their captain said, "but we don't have control of when he gets here."

"Yes we do."

Black Andrew stared curiously at him. "What do you mean? If you have an idea, please, do tell."

"Yeah," Chris snickered, "it'll be a first, and probably the last."

Ricky sneered at him, then turned back to his captain. "Tell Captain Sparrow the truth. Tell him the blacksmith is still alive. It'll bring him running."

Andrew was greatly intrigued by the idea, and his sadistic mind had already started working. "Yes, but we tell him in a way to make it seem like his fault, make him feel guilty. Yes, we could even set a deadline and if he doesn't make it in time, we'll kill Will."

"Captain, but what if he escapes again?" Chris asked. "What if he takes Turner and runs?"

A twisted smile formed on his face then. "Wouldn't it be a shame, if he manages to rescue him, but is unable to keep the young man fro dying of his injuries."

Both Ricky and Chris laughed; it sounded wonderful. "Jack Sparrow won't stand a chance," Ricky said. "If he fights you when he comes to rescue Turner, he'll be filled with the… absolute guilt at abandoning him, and if he does it later, he'll have the death of his best friend on his mind. It's perfect."

Black Andrew grinned, but it was a grin full of hate. "Bring Mr. Turner to me, I'd like to "talk" to him."

Chris laughed, "Of course." He quickly left to find the prisoner.

Ricky glanced at Andrew, "How are we going to let Sparrow know? We have to be careful of whom we send or he'll be suspicious."

Andrew pondered it for a second or two. "We'll send Chris. He has gained the trust of Jack Turner; that could help convince the Captain of the Black Pearl."

Ricky nodded and turned to the door as it opened. Chris came in, dragging the prisoner behind him. Chris stepped to the side and forced him to the ground on his knees.

Will was on his knees, eyes squeezed shut. His chest was being pressed painfully against his knees, and the wounds from his fight with Blacksword were screaming in agony. His breathing started coming in ragged gasps. The sword wound in his neck had come dangerously close to killing him, and at the moment he was regretting that it hadn't.

"Well, young Turner. How does it feel to know you are going to play a key role in the defeat of Captain Jack Sparrow," Black Andrew asked, coming closer to Will so he could see his reaction.

Will's brown eyes widened in horror. "Where… where is he?" he rasped. The last time he's seen Jack, the pirate had left him and gone in the brig. Jack couldn't have been captured! Could he?

"He left you, he abandoned you," Andrew said, smirking. "He has left you to a fate worse than death; for that's what you'll beg for before I'm done."

'Abandoned me?' Will wondered dully. 'He wouldn't do that!' "Where's my son?"

"Captain Sparrow ran off with him. Took your kid and left you. Probably planning on stealing your wife as well."

Will stared at him, his mind trying to process what Chris had said. 'Jack took my son. Thank God, neither of them is here. They're both safe.' Suddenly a thought struck him, 'Take my wife? Jack… Jack wouldn't do that. He'd… he'd never take Elizabeth.' In his mind though, he remembered the way Jack had always watched Elizabeth and his conviction wavered.

The young blacksmith felt his fear rise but he couldn't do anything as Ricky forced him to bend over on his knees, pressing his wounds further into his legs.

"This is going to be a living hell for you," Blacksword sneered, placing his face mere inches from Will's. "I hope you're ready."

Will's heart tightened in apprehension, unsure of exactly what to expect. He couldn't help but twist his wrists in the shackles in a desperate attempt to free himself.

"Chris, let him up." Chris pulled him into a sitting position.

Andrew slowly pulled out a knife and let it rest on Will's chest mere inches from the previous wound. The one from earlier had missed cutting the main artery by only a few centimeters and he was afraid of what would now be done to him. He was already struggling to breathe and remain conscious.

"I could murder you now," the pirate sneered, "but I think it'll be better to keep you alive." He slowly let the knife drift down, tracing down to his prisoners ribs. Slowly, deliberately, he forced the tip in between two ribs, but being extraordinarily careful not to hit any of his main organs.

Will squeezed his eyes shut and it took all of his control not to scream as the knife slowly slid into his body up until the hilt was pressed against his side. Black Andrew then slowly twisted it and pulled the serrated blade out, doing as much- if not more- damage then.

Will slumped over, despite the agony that swept through him as his body pressed against his knees. The blood was slowly seeping through his shirt, leaving a growing bloodstain.

Black Andrew started to put the blade through Will again, but stopped. "Ricky," he said "put him in the brig. I'll continue with him after I bring Chris up-to-date on our plans."

Ricky nodded and forced the prisoner to his feet. Will stood there for a moment, swaying unsteadily, before his knees buckled, sending him back to the ground. Pain lanced through his awareness and threatened to overwhelm him. He remained on his knees, trying to dispel the nausea and weakness that had consumed him.

Blacksword's third-in-command-Ricky- didn't give him the time he needed and instead pulled him up. Will's body had been jerked up and down to many times in the last few minutes and he blacked out, his mind being thrown into blessed oblivion.

Ricky groaned and picked the young blacksmith up off the ground and slowly carried him out of the room and to the brig.

Chris watched then carefully turned towards Andrew. "What do you want me to do this time, Captain?"

"You are going to tell Sparrow that Mr. Turner is still alive."

"If I may, Captain? Why me?" Chris asked when his captain nodded in response to the first question.

"Because you have gained the trust of the child. Captain Sparrow will believe you if only for that reason," Andrew reasoned. "Besides, I'm the Captain. I said you are, therefore, you will."

Had it been any other captain, Chris would have continued to press the matter but his fear of what Black Andrew could do to him stopped him. In honesty, had it been anyone other than Chris- and perhaps Ricky- Andrew would have killed them for questioning him.

"Pretend you're the prisoner. If Sparrow knows you're my first mate, he'll be suspicious. He could suspect a trap."

"Yes, sir."

Black Andrew smirked. "He's a dead man. He just doesn't realize it yet."

"Both Sparrow and Turner are."

"Yes," Andrew agreed, "but Will realizes it. And he will continue to realize it. With any luck," a smirk flicked across the tan face, "he'll die in Sparrow's arms after the captain of the Black Pearl gets here."

TBC

Hehehehe.

Yes, I like to pick on Will. He's just so… pick-on-able… Wow, that was pathetic…

Anyway, I look forward to hearing from all of you again. See ya later!


	6. Of Bars and Barmaids

HELLO EVERYBODY!

OMG! I've hit 35+ reviews! I feel SO loved! Hugs for all! And cookies too! I hope I can make you feel as loved as you have made me feel.

**Smithy** – Don't worry, I know how tough it can be. Well, kinda… I work at Bruno's. It's my first job and it can be a bit overwhelming at times. If you're off for the 4th of July, then I'm gonna call you lucky. Anyways, just super glad to have you back! Yes, scars are sexy, and he will have more. Hahaha!

**Trinilee Greenleaf** – Oh, don't worry, there will be plenty more torture to come. Unfortunatly, just not in this chapter. Here is the next chapter. By the way, just wondering… Where did you come up with the first part of you name? It reminds me of Power Rangers…

**Geheimins **– Glad to hear from you. I love new reviewers! Sorry about the cliffhanger and sorry it won't be resolved in this chapter. You'll just have to wait till next chapter. #evil smirk# Yes, I know I'm evil.

**Sanquinedarkness666 **– Typing spasms are understandable. I'm just glad you typed this for me. Bandcamp… Grrrrr. Die bandcamp! Die grumpy Faison! Die annoying Foster! And, yes, I agree. Everything is HAPPY! Hahahaha… Why are people staring? Oh, Abby word of wisedom from a Power Rangers fic. It's always better to shut your mouth BEFORE you slip up and let your girlfriend find out you've been cheating on her with her ex-boyfriend. Remember that.

**Staci – **No, you're not evil for liking to read about him suffering. It's normal. And what is everyone's deal about me using the term PICK-ON-ABLE? … Never mind.

**Williz – **It's wonderful to hear from you again! I love you! And your greed is endearing. Here is the next chapter.

**Piglet12345 – **Glad you like this fic. As a new reviewer, you have made my day. Here is chapter 6.

**Daphnebandweenie – **Band dorks rule! And you just "huggle" Will all you want, it won't protect him. Don't worry, I'm sure Abby will share Orli with you. But me and her are sharing Johnny. Sorry, but hands off. And how can I sound professional? It's Bruno's. Love you Bethany! BTW, I agree. Never Leave FanFiction Lying Around is hilarious. And yes, Hunter/Cam rocks! They're SOOO cute together!

Anyway, here comes the story. Hope you enjoy!

And Obliviongates, if you're out there, I hope you're okay.

That said, everyone PLEASE read and review. It makes me happy.

**---------------------**

**BlackSword**

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**Chapter 6**

"Uh, Jack. Jackie, can I talk to you?"

"Sure Captain Sparrow. What do you want? Is my dad back yet?" Jackie's voice held a hint of hope that made the pirate's heart break.

"That's… that's what I need to talk to you about," Jack said slowly. He was standing in his room staring at the boy that they'd put there.

Jackie's large brown eyes widened slightly. "What? What's wrong?"

Jack sighed and slowly knelt down before the boy. "Uh, Jackie," Jack paused slightly, "your… your father… he's not coming. He's… he." He couldn't bring himself to finish.

"What do you mean?" Jackie asked fearfully. The look on Captain Sparrow's face scared him.

"Will… he's… he's dead." Jack felt a sharp pang shoot through his heart. Never before had the death of anyone hurt so much, and every time he thought of his friend another pang shot through him.

Jackie just stared at him and blinked; clearly not comprehending what Jack had said. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, he's dead. Blacksword killed him. He's never coming back," Jack said, his voice almost breaking. Somehow, admitting it made the pain in his heart worse. He closed his eyes in an attempt to keep from crying.

The little boy just continued to stare at him in shock. "Wha… what? No. No, no, no, no, no." He started shaking his head and as he did, tears started to slide down his face. "No."

It was almost more than Jack could stand, seeing the little boy burst into tears. His heart tightened as the boy's sobs echoed in his mind. "Jackie, I…"

"What are we going to do? What are mom and I going to do?"

Jack hadn't thought of that, but now that he did, he realized the seriousness of the problem. Most women with children who lost their husbands ended up with nothing. And knowing Elizabeth, she wouldn't accept charity; she was, and always had been, pridefully stubborn. "I'm not sure," he admitted, "but no matter what, I'll look after you and your mom."

Slowly, Jackie looked up. "How? You couldn't look after dad?" He didn't mean for it to sound the way it did, he especially didn't mean to cause the pain that he did, but it happened anyway.

Captain Sparrow felt his heart throb at the thought of what Will's son had suggested. 'He's right,' he thought miserably. 'It is my fault. Will-' his heart wrenched again at the thought of his name- 'is dead because of me.' He realized he didn't really have any right to offer to protect Elizabeth and didn't have the respectability to expect anyone to believe anything he said or promised.

A sudden thought occurred to him, one he hadn't expected, but one- considering what he was- wasn't surprising. 'With Will' – another sharp pang- 'out of the way, I could have Elizabeth.' Despite the fact that he had been with just about every lowlife and prostitute, and normally had no problems about taking someone's wife, he was strangely horrified at the thought.

'I can't take Will's' – another, even sharper pang- 'wife. No matter what else I am, I am not someone who will steal my best friend's wife. I owe him that much, if nothing else.'

"I'm sorry, Captain Sparrow," Jackie apologized. The apology sounded pathetic, especially with the sobs mixed in. "I'm sorry, I didn't think -" he couldn't continue. His sobs had tightened his throat and to breath he had to stop talking.

"It's okay, Jackie," Jack said quietly. "It's okay." He turned away and started to leave.

"Where are you going?" Jackie asked, voice rising in panic and his sobs subsiding. The child actually sounded afraid.

"I'm just going to the bar here."

"The bar!"

"Yeah, we docked. I need a drink so I'm going to the bar."

The eight-year-old jumped to his feet. "I'm coming with you." He quickly walked to his side.

Jack stared at him, "No, you can't come. If I let you, your f-" He stopped; not only had the thought of Will sent another sharp pang of sorrow, but this time, a twinge of guilt flashed through him for even thinking about taking Elizabeth. "Your mother would kill me," he quickly finished, hoping not to upset Jackie anymore.

"You can't leave me," Jackie cried. He suddenly latched himself to the pirate. "Don't leave," he sobbed.

Jack felt another wave of guilt, this time because he had wanted to leave the boy. "Come on," he finally relented.

He slowly led the boy off the Black Pearl and through the dark, dirty streets. Like most port cities, this one had two sides- the rich, clean, well-to-do area, and the dirty slums, which were full of pirates and other lowlifes. Jack was careful to keep a close eye on Jackie and make sure the boy stayed close. He couldn't help but notice the looks the two of them earned.

Jack stopped outside the bar and took Jackie by the shoulders. "Jackie, look, you have to stay close, okay? There are a lot of people in there you probably shouldn't be around, so don't wander off. And if anyone gives you _any_ problems, tell me."

The boy nodded and, to Jack's surprise, took hold of his right hand. Jack rolled his eyes and started to shake the boy off, but then decided against it. Jackie had just lost his father, it was no surprise the child felt the need to latch onto him.

They stepped into the Faithful Bride- the best-known bar in Tortuga- and Jackie stopped dead. His brown eyes widened in the darkness; the dingy bar was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was dank and gloomy- at least in some areas, others, the drunkards were too out of it to be unhappy- and filed with smoke.

"Well, what do you think?" Jack asked, noticing the boy's shock.

"No wonder mom hates these places. Are all bars this bad?"

"No, of course not. Some are worse."

Jackie stared at him. "Are you serious?"

Jack nodded and led him deeper in. His caramel eyes spotted Miguel and Paul in the back. He walked to their table and pulled up two chairs. "So, where's my rum?"

Miguel smiled and passed him a large bottle. "I thought you were going to leave the kid? What happened?" he asked in Spanish.

Jack shrugged. He understood Spanish but he couldn't reply in it, and he didn't wish to let Jackie know what had been said. "Things came up," he said vaguely.

Paul shook his head, watching Jackie carefully. "So, kid, are you feeling okay?"

"Not really," Jackie admitted. He eyes flickered closed for an instant, and then he continued. "I feel… horrible. My back… and my ribs…. My wrist… It doesn't work. Plus, there's the fact that Captain Sparrow just told me my father's dead. So right now, I-" he trailed off and ended with a soft grunt and a shrug. Tears had formed in his eyes and threatened to spill down his cheeks.

Jack had felt the guilt and sorrow sweep through him as the boy said these things, both the fact about his father and that he'd- in his sadness- forgotten about the child's injuries. He thought for a second then got up from the table and went to the bar. A few seconds later, he came back with an empty cup.

Miguel, Paul, and Jackie watched the pirate captain. After a moment or two, Jackie shrugged and turned away, leaning against the table as best he could without aggravating his wounds on his back. The boy watched in fascination as the table next to theirs broke out in a large, loud argument.

Jack Sparrow watched Jackie, studying him. He then carefully pouted out a small amount of rum into the cup he's taken from the bartender. Once he had, he gently tapped the eight-year-old on the shoulder. The boy turned to him.

"Drink this," he instructed, pressing the cup of rum into the child's hands. Jackie blinked at him a few times.

"What is it?" the boy asked curiously. If nothing else, his curiosity distracted him from the pain of his wounds and the sorrow in his heart.

Jack hesitated, "Don't worry about it," he finally said. "Just drink it."

The child started to put the cup to his lips, but stopped as he caught a whiff of the sharp smell of the rum. He made a face, and then asked, "What is it for?"

"It will help deaden the pain," Jack sighed. The boy was asking more questions than the pirate was used to answering.

"Is it rum?" the child asked bluntly.

"Yes," Jack ground out reluctantly. That hadn't been something he wanted to tell Jackie.

Jackie's eyes widened slightly.

"Just trust me, Jack. Drink it," Captain Sparrow said.

The boy made another face then quickly drank the rum. The liquor burned all the way down the child's throat and he grimaced darkly.

Jack nodded in satisfaction, then took the bottle and took a few swallows before saying, "You know, if you were a little older and could stand the taste, you could make some money drinking rum." He noticed the look on the boy's face. "Not that I'm suggesting that," he quickly added.

About the time he finished, one of the barmaids had quietly sauntered close to them. "Hey, Jack," she said seductively. "Who are your friends?" She asked, noticing Paul and Miguel.

"Uh, hello, Roxy," Jack said slowly. "This is, uh, Paul Langley and Miguel Sanchez. They're part of my crew." The two men nodded towards the blonde.

"Hey, boys," she said, grinning. Then, turning to Jack, she said, "Did you come back to "visit" again? Or did you miss me?"

"Sorry, Roxy. I'm… not interested right now," Jack apologized, though he didn't really feel sorry about it. "Got the kid to look out for," he explained, nodding towards Jackie.

At first, her green eyes had grown angry, then as Jack nodded to the eight-year-old, she had suddenly changed from angry to amused.

"I didn't know you had a son, Jack," she said, her voice softly accusing. She looked the boy up and down. "Oh, he's so cute!" she exclaimed. Jackie stared uncomfortably at her as she gazed into his dark brown eyes.

"He's not my son," Jack said quietly. "His name is Jack Turner."

Roxy stopped running her hands through the child's dirty blonde hair. "Huh?" she asked in surprise, looking up at Jack.

"His parents are friends of mine," he explained. "I'm watching him right now." He didn't feel like saying _why_ he was watching Jackie without the parents.

"Aawww, that's so sweet," she cooed. She continued to stare at Jackie. "Ohh, what happened to your lips?" Her fingers came up and gently toched them. "Poor baby."

"Blacksword hit me," Jackie told her darkly. "And I'm not a baby." His voice sounded slightly indignant. "I'm eight."

"Eight?" she repeated with a grin. Then she turned to Jack. "I'll… watch him for you tonight."

Jack's caramel eyes widened. "Uh, sorry, but no," he said quickly. It was bad enough he had brought Jackie into a bar, if he let a woman like Roxy be alone with Jackie, Will- a lance of pain and sorrow shot through his heart- would kill him, had he been alive.

Roxy pouted, letting her full lips quiver. "Please, Jack. I could teach him a few things."

"I don't want him to learn those things. He's too young."

The beautiful woman smiled, "You can never be too young to learn." She gently ran her fingers along the side of Jackie's face. The boy, now feeling very uncomfortable, flinched backwards, away from her. She looked insulted. "What? You aren't afraid of me, are you?"

"No, I just don't think you're trustworthy," Jackie informed her.

"I'm not trustworthy?" she asked incredulously. "What about him?" She pointed angrily at Jack Sparrow. "He's a pirate!"

"What of it?" Jackie asked. "Captain Sparrow is a good person. My dad told me so."

"Then your father was dead wrong!" she yelled. To her surprise, as she finished the boy burst into tears and ran.

"Miguel, go get him. Don't let him wander off," Jack instructed. He then turned back to Roxy, "You're mistaken. His father wasn't wrong, just dead." His voice was cold and angry.

"What?" she asked in surprise.

Jack lowered his voice. "His father was with me and died about a day ago. That's why the kid's with me. He will be until I can get him back to his mother."

Roxy's face turned red, "Oh, I didn't know. Poor kid."

Miguel came back; Jackie trailing behind him, tears still showing in his eyes.

Roxy couldn't look at him so she kept her eyes fixed on Jack. "Are you sure you don't want me to watch the kid for you, Jack?"

Jack shook his head. "I already told you, no!" He couldn't believe she was still trying to take advantage of Jackie. He had never before realized just how persistent this woman could be.

Roxy then turned towards Jackie, her eyes filled with longing for him. She honestly didn't care that he was only eight. "Well, it doesn't matter what you say, Jack. What do _you_ want, little one? Do you want to come with me?"

Jackie shook his head vigorously. "N…no," he stammered fearfully. He didn't want to make her mad, but he didn't want there to be any misunderstanding between them.

She looked shocked at what he said. "I can see I'm no longer wanted here," she huffed. Se glanced at Jack, "Farewell _Captain_ Sparrow." At that, she hauled off and slapped him across the face. "See you later, you two," she said to Paul and Miguel, waving slightly.

Finally, Roxy turned back to Jackie. "Are you certain you don't want to come with me? I could change your mind if you let me," she whispered to him, leaning in close to him. Her hot breath fell upon the child's face.

"I'm certain," Jackie said. He really didn't understand what this woman wanted with him; he just knew he didn't want to go somewhere without Captain Sparrow.

She stood for a moment, her eyes flickering as she attempted to control herself. Finally, she could contain herself no longer and she jerked forward, putting her hands on his face and pulling the boy into a kiss.

The move caught Jackie, Miguel, Paul, and even Jack off guard. The three men stood in shock, unable to do anything due to the fact that their bodies had frozen up.

Jackie was in shock as well, for a total of about five seconds. As soon as he realized what was happening, he started struggling, trying desperately to pull himself away from Roxy. Even uninjured, though, he wouldn't have been able to disentangle himself from her, so at the moment, injured as he was, it was out of the question. All his struggling gained him was to put more stress on his wounded body.

Jack was the next to recover and when he did, he acted instantly. Roxy had gone too far.

He lurched forward and grabbed Roxy and pulled her away from the small child, probably much more forcefully than he needed to. As soon as he had, he spun her around and shoved her back into the bar.

"What bit of "no he's too young" didn't you understand?" he snarled angrily. His eyes were blazing hotter than the Caribbean sun.

Roxy's eyes were huge and filled with terror. She had never seen the captain of the Black Pearl so upset and the fact that his emotions were directed towards her scared her deeply. "I… I just… wanted-" she began.

"You just wanted," he repeated, his tone sardonic. "You just wanted to rob an eight-year-old of his innocence after I explicitly told you no. And not only me, but he also said no." His expression was dark.

He had failed to protect Will, his closest, and not to mention only, friend. He had been upset but unable to display his emotions beforehand. Now, though, he had the perfect person to take out his sorrow and anger on and he had the perfect reason to do so. Jack was not about to let her off easily.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered fearfully. It was slowly beginning to dawn on her just how big a mistake she had made. Obviously, Jack had been quite close to the child's father; that was the only explanation- given Jack's attitude and tendencies- that was conceivable. There was no other reason for him to be so protective of the boy.

Jack started to retort but stopped when Miguel came up to him and placed a hand on his arm. "Let her go, Captain," he instructed quietly. He jerked his head towards Jackie. "You need to see to him. He's quite upset."

The pirate stood starting at his crewman, no doubt considering whether or not it would be worth it to pick a fight with Miguel. Slowly, he nodded. "Okay." He turned one final glare at Roxy, then turned and stalked back to their table.

Jackie was sitting down, eyes huge and unfocused. He was in partial shock, both from the kiss and the extra stress he'd placed on his already overloaded body, which was at the moment, shuddering convulsively. The slight spasms continued for several minutes.

"Jackie? Are you okay?" Jack asked in concern. He didn't understand _why_ the boy was so freaked out, only that he was.

"Ki… kiss," he stammered. He really didn't seem to be focused on anything.

"Yes, I know. She shouldn't have done that," Jack replied. Slowly sitting down next to him. Uncertainly, he gently placed a hand on the child's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. To his surprise, the boy relaxed and leaned back against him.

After a few minutes the child turned in his chair and took hold of Jack's hand and turned it over so the palm was facing up. He studied it for a second, then said, "You… you have the same… same scar dad did."

Jack eyes him in surprise. A few seconds ago, the child had been spasming uncontrollably. Now, the kid was calmly commenting that he had the same scar as Will.

He nodded, "Yeah, I got it about… five seconds before your father got his." At first, he felt a slight sense of achievement when he didn't feel a sharp pang run through him but he realized it was actually only a few seconds late in coming. When it came, though, it was just as strong as ever.

"How did you get it?" Jackie asked, curiously running a finger along the scar.

"Will didn't tell you?" Jack asked in surprise, doing his best to suppress the wave of sorrow that accompanied the mention of Will's name.

Jackie shook his head sadly. "He said he's tell me when I got older, but…"

The pirate captain understood, both the reason Will hadn't told Jackie and the reason Jackie had been unable to finish his sentence. "Do you want to know?"

The eight-year-old nodded. He knew that since Captain Sparrow had been involved, it dealt with pirates, and stories dealing with pirates had always been his favorite.

Jack smiled, "Well, how much do you know about Barbossa and his dealing with your mom and dad?"

"Nothing, except during the time they had to deal with him, they realized how much they loved each other and not long after his defeat they got married."

"Okay, so basically none of the violent stuff, huh? Well, anyway, Barbossa was a cursed pirate, savvy? Used to be my first mate but he mutinied against me. Anyway…" So Jack proceeded to tell the boy about the adventure he had had when he had first met his father.

The story continued for an hour. Jackie sat in rapt attention and even Paul and Miguel listened in silence, for they had never heard the full tale.

"And so I threw the coin to Will; he slit his hand, put his blood on it and put it in the chest. As he did, I shot Barbossa. Of course, Barbossa didn't realize the curse had been lifted," Jack said, beginning to wrap up the story.

"Anyway, he died and your parents went with Commodore Norrington and I sailed off on the Pearl," he said. He really didn't feel like telling the boy the real ending; the fact that Commodore Norrington had almost hung him and Will and Elizabeth alone had prevented it from happening was not the most glorifying ending he could have come up with.

Jackie had started to nod off close to the end of Jack's tale. Now though, he had fallen completely asleep, leaning heavily against Jack's side. The child was nestled in his arm, his head resting against the pirate's chest.

Jack shook his head slightly and was about to wake the child up but decided against it. He glanced up to Miguel and Paul. "Guess it's somebody's bed time."

Miguel grinned and nodded. "So it would seem." He nodded towards Jackie. "Want me to take him back to the Pearl?"

Jack shook his head, "I'll take him. Do you want to come or would you prefer to stay here longer?"

"I'll come with you. I would like to take a look at the boy's injuries, to make certain he's okay," Miguel said.

His captain nodded then turned to Paul. 'What about you?" Paul had remained silent so far, which wasn't much of a surprise; Paul _normally_ was a quiet person.

"I think I'm going to go find that friend of yours. What was her name? Roxy? I'd like to "talk" to her."

"Just make sure you get your money's worth," Jack said with a smirk. "We're leaving in the morning, so if you're not on the Pearl, you'll be left behind."

Paul nodded then left to go find Roxy. Jack gently shifted Will's son over so he could carry him. Standing up, he cradled the boy against his body and quickly left the bar, Miguel trailing after him.

Once they reached Jack's quarters, the pirate captain laid the sleeping child on his bunk. "Miguel, what do you think?"

Miguel knew what he was talking about, so he answered, "I don't know. I need to take a good look at him."

Jack nodded, "Since he's asleep, now would probably be the opportune moment to check his injuries."

Miguel must have agreed because he gently began to undo Jackie's shirt so he could examine his wounds. As Jack watched, the Spaniard slowly stripped the bloody shirt off him. "Uh, Captain? Why didn't you treat his injuries earlier?"

The pirate's face reddened slightly, "Honestly? I forgot about them. I was so upset about Will that Jackie's injuries completely slipped my mind."

Miguel nodded and grimaced slightly as he caught sight of the ugly bruises crossing the boy's abdomen. He lightly ran a hand over his ribs, feeling for broken bones. Sure enough, there were two. "The kid was right. He does have some broken ribs."

Jack sighed slightly. He had been in charge of Jackie's well being since they had rescued him from Blacksword and he had let the boy's injuries go unattended for this long.

Miguel- finishing his analysis of the boy's front side- glanced up. "Captain, could you help me? I need to check his back."

Quietly coming up beside him, Jack- being surprisingly gentle for the pirate he was- rolled the boy over. Miguel gasped softly as he caught sight of it.

Jack- hearing Miguel's sharp intake of breath- glanced down at Jackie's back and froze as well. The young Turner child's back was covered in criss-crossing welts. It wasn't necessarily the severity of the wounds that alarmed them, but more the amount. There wasn't even an inch of skin that didn't hold at least one ragged welt.

Miguel, slowly coming out of his shock, turned and picked up a soft, wet rag, and then walked back to the child's side. He handed the cloth to Jack, "Here. Wash his back while I go to my room and get something for those gashes."

As the Spaniard left, Jack tenderly began to wipe the blood and dirt from the boy's back. The cloth soon became covered in blood and he was forced to wash it off in the bucket Miguel had brought in for just such a case. Silently returning to the task at hand, he tried to block out all other thoughts in his mind. When his hand brushed lightly against one particularly nasty welt, Jackie- still fast asleep- hissed softly, flinching away from the pirate.

The captain of the Black Pearl bit down on is lip. He hated this; not necessarily helping to clean the wounds but the fact that Jackie was merely a child.

That, plus, he had promised to protect Jackie and Elizabeth if anything happened to Will. So far, he had not done a very adequate job- at least in his mind. "Damn it, Will. Why'd you have to do this to me?" he muttered sadly to himself.

A sharp wave of pain washed through him, forcing him to stop what he was doing. Tears stung his eyes, threatening to cause him to break down on the spot. Jack closed his eyes, unable to stop the few tears that squeezed between his eyelids.

Angrily, he rubbed at his eyes. He was a pirate! He wasn't supposed to cry. And yet her he was, on the verge of hysteria. 'It's not like he's the first person I've known to die.' He told himself, trying fruitlessly to control his emotions. 'No,' he admitted finally to himself, 'but he's the first real friend I've ever had that died. Hell, he's the _only_ real friend I've ever had.'

At this thought he corrected himself. 'Well, I guess that's not entirely true. His father died as well, but… I didn't know he was my friend beforehand.'

The momentary distraction from Will didn't help much, because when his mind floated back the feeling caused an incredible sense of hopelessness and guilt.

'I couldn't protect him. I should have been able to," Jack thought to himself. 'All of this, simply because Blacksword was jealous of Will's skill with a sword. I never should have let him come.'

To his surprise, he felt tears falling down his face. 'Look at me. Crying like a little kid.' Sudden, hot anger flashed through him. 'May God have mercy on Blacksword, because I won't.'

He stood up suddenly, the boy in front of him now completely forgotten. He felt ridiculous, crying as he was. 'You're going to rot in hell Blacksword, for what you've done to Will and his family.' He let himself slowly sink to the floor on his knees, tears still running down his tanned cheeks.

"I swear," he whispered out loud, though for what he knew, no one was there to hear him, "I will kill Blacksword for what he did."

Unknown to him, Miguel had returned from his room and come to the door in time to see his captain sink to the ground and hear him swear to avenge his friend. He was shocked into silence; he had never expected to see the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow on his knees, crying.

Miguel quietly walked over to Jack. "It's okay Captain. It wasn't your fault," he said, his voice soft.

Jack jumped and quickly got to his feet. "Miguel? How long have you been here?" he demanded. "Don't do that again."

The other man simply stared at him. He wasn't afraid of Jack, especially in the state he was in. "You really cared about Will, didn't you?" he asked softly. Miguel wasn't sure of Jack's reaction to the question but he was ready for it, whatever it was.

Jack closed eyes and a few more tears slipped out. "He was my only real friend. I don't think I ever even told him." He then opened his eyes and stared at Miguel. "I didn't get the opportunity to apologize for saying that stuff to him."

"I have the feeling he knows you didn't mean those things," Miguel told Jack. "And I know that he realized he was your friend."

"Hoe can you be sure? About either of them?"

"I talked to him before… before the two of you went aboard the Assassin," Miguel informed him quietly.

Jack blinked in surprise, "What? You… you talked to Will about our argument before he died?"

Miguel nodded, "I saw him and I was curious as to why the two of you weren't talking." He then shrugged, "He wasn't really mad at you, but he was unsure about your feelings. That's why he didn't say much to you. But he knew you thought of him as a friend."

The Spanish man lowered his voice slightly, "The only thing pertaining to your friendship, was why. He didn't know what he had done to gain his trust."

"That's just about the reverse for me," Jack said quietly. "I could easily give him more than ten reasons why he has my trust. Yet I can't imagine what on Earth I did to earn his friendship." As he said this he hung his head, "It doesn't matter now, though. I'll never get to tell him anyway."

Perhaps you will, Captain."

Deep, sad, caramel eyes met his. "How?"

"You'll meet up with him again, eventually." Miguel didn't know what Jack believed, but he was willing to venture his opinion.

The pirate gave a derisive snort. "No. Unless something is completely screwed up, I'll never again see him. I shall end up rotting in whatever version of hell there actually is, while he won't. Blacksword was right about that, if nothing else."

Miguel sighed; he could see this conversation was still emotionally upsetting for the other man, so he decided to change the topic. "Let's finish on the kid."

Relief showed in the clear eyes and Jack nodded, "Okay," then went back to what had been his task before his emotions had gotten the better of him. His eyes drifted closed, his thoughts going to Jackie. 'Kid,' he thought fiercely, 'I may not have been able to protect your father, but I made a promise to him. I will not allow _anything_ to happen to you.'

TBC

And in the next chapter… Back to the Will torture. Yay!


	7. Breaking Pain

Woo-hoo. Hello all!

Wow, computer games are strangely addictive, especially if it means hacking people into pieces.

Okay, I'm going to slowly come out and toss Roxy to the crowd. You can have her, just don't hurt me. If you do hurt me, you won't find out what happens to Will. Aha! I have blackmail!

Anyway, just a warning but I'm going to be out of town all next week, so I won't be able to update. I will as soon as I possibly can, just don't worry.

Plus, depending on what Hurricane Dennis does, we may be without power for a while. Hopefully it won't be as bad as Ivan. My cousin lives in Pensacola, just an hour from where I live, and she was without power for over three weeks. Ugh. So basically, it may be a while. But I will update when I can; I shall not abandon my loyal reviewers!

**Smithy – **Lucky! Lucky, lucky, lucky! I had to work 3-9. It was SOOO boring. Oh, and don't worry. Jack and Elizabeth will NOT be together. ICKY! Besides, Jack is mine, not hers. (Don't I wish?) And now I feel really bad. Bad llama. (Okay, I've been watching The Emperor's New Groove. So sue me)

**Trinilee Greenleaf – **ACK! I made you care about an OC? Wow! Are you sure you're okay? And I'm glad you didn't like Roxy. I'm glad you like the depth of everything. And yes, We shall be passing Jack around so people can give him hugs.

**Piglet12345 – **Glad you like my story. NO! Jack is not gay, nor is he with Will! He's with me! Mine! Hands off, Will Turner! #slaps Will on the hand# Down boy!

**Daphnebandweenie – **Less then a month now. Scary. I would say get that twitch looked at, but it'll be back after band camp, so just wait. Darn Ben and Clay kidnapping you. …Maybe I should sick Roxy on them. And yes, I do want my binder back. Just bring it to band camp.

**Staci – **Yeah, Roxy has problems. Here's you're next chapter. Hope you like it!

**Sanquinedarkness666 – **No, not the spork! Use it on Roxy, not on me. Oh, I didn't think about how it could apply to you. It was just in a Power Rangers story. Kat got pissed because she found out Jason was cheating on her with Tommy. Oops!

**Marie Crosby – **Here's the next chapter. Have fun with it!

**Williz – **Don't worry, there will be no Jack/Elizabeth action. ICKY! Here's the Will torture! Yay!

Well, I've got to go. Got to finish getting ready for Hurricane Dennis. See you guys later.

**---------------------**

**BlackSword**

**---------------------**

**Chapter7**

The blood running down his body had already formed a small pool underneath him and the beating was nowhere near over with yet.

Will was shuddering helplessly, bound tightly to the mast of the Assassin; his chest pressed painfully into the wood. His arms were wrapped around the large pole, the rope holding them there having momentarily taken place of the shackles.

Another crack sounded and another lance of agony flashed through him. Part of him wondered dully why Blacksword had a whip. 'What sort of idiot would sell a weapon to this insane bastard?' he wondered.

The whip cracked again and he ground his teeth to keep from screaming. Thus far, he hadn't screamed, but he knew he couldn't be able to contain it much longer. He pressed his forehead against the mast miserably.

"Having fun, yet?" Blacksword taunted from somewhere behind him. The pirate seemed to find no small amount of pleasure in tormenting his prisoners, Will in particular.

"Rot in hell," Will sneered automatically. As soon as he spoke those words, he grimaced slightly. Once again, he was glad the mast was there; Blacksword couldn't see the fear flash through him. Blacksword would make him regret saying that.

This time, when the whip snaked out, it wrapped partway around his side, the thronged tip snapping into his side.

Will couldn't control the soft whimper that escaped from him. Bleeding, ragged welts covered his back and sides, burning mercilessly. Worse then the recent wounds were the ones he had gained during his quick, one-sided fight against Blacksword; not one of them had even begun to heal and they were all serious enough to be dangerous.

Slowly, he realized that the beating had stopped, for a moment, at least. Apprehension filled him; there was no way it could be over.

"You'll learn to hold your tongue," Blacksword whispered suddenly. Will jumped and struggled to see the pirate who was now standing inches from him.

The older man drew back and punched him. Will's head snapped forward into the mast, stunning him. Had he not been bound so tight, he would have slumped to the deck. "Hurts, doesn't it?" Blacksword sneered.

As he slowly regained his senses, Will once again pressed his head against the mast; this time to hide the helpless, frustrated tears that were starting to fill his eyes. If only he could get another chance to face off against the heartless pirate, he was certain he could defeat the other man, even if he was injured.

Blacksword grinned, though Will couldn't see him, and said, "So, how much do you know of my "gift"?" When there was no answer, he continued, "I will give you a small demonstration of my power."

He placed his hand on the blacksmith's right shoulder. Will tensed and fear skittered up and down his spine. His heart began to race and the injury right next to it threatened to cause it to fail. Yet he couldn't control the beating any more than he could stop Blacksword from doing whatever he had planned.

Intense heat flashed through Will's shoulder so suddenly he could not control the strangled yelp that escaped him. Blacksword's hand tightened painfully on the other's shoulder, much as he had done to Jackie's wrist, but this time he used much more force.

Will screamed uncontrollably as a sharp snap indicated the breaking of his shoulder- actually it was his collarbone but it was exactly where that bone met his shoulder bone.

Blacksword didn't relax his grip, on the contrary, his hand tightened further, forcing the bone to shift even more out of place.

Tears started falling down the young man's cheeks, leaving streaks in the blood that covered part of it. The blood was from the deep cut that now spread across his cheek, under his left eye. With everything else that was happening to him, he had failed to notice it. Nor had he noticed the matching cut over his right eye, as a result of his head being smashed into the mast.

Blacksword, while he hadn't noticed the tears running down Will's face, he certainly hadn't missed the emotional anguish assaulting him. He couldn't help but laugh.

Abruptly, he let go of his shoulder and the bone shifted back as far into place as it could. Blacksword slowly walked around the mast so he could see some of the other's face.

Will hated it; he couldn't control his tears and his pride balked at the fact that anyone was seeing him like this. Not only that, but the knowledge that this maniac was the person that had held his son prisoner for almost a week burned him up. 'And he's going to do the same thing he's doing to me to Jack when he catches him,' he thought miserably.

"You're right," Blacksword said, clearly reading what was flashing through Will's mind. "I'm going to put Sparrow through hell, just like I am, and will continue to do to you."

Will's eyes opened and slowly met Blacksword's. For some reason, it was strangely unsettling for the pirate to see that tears rolling down from the large, dark brown eyes. "What do you want with Jack?" Will asked, voice soft. "What did he do to you? And why in the hell do you want me?"

The soft, mocking laugh that answered him sent a shiver through him. "Your last question is easy to answer, the others take slightly longer to explain." The grin faded, "You are the best swordsman in the Caribbean, a title I once held. I don't know how it suddenly became yours, but I fully intend to reclaim that title."

"If that's all you want, then fine. Take it. I don't care!"

"It's not that simple, my pride will not allow it. I must defeat you in a sword duel."

"You've already done that," Will pointed out.

"That did not count. I did not follow the rules of engagement."

Will couldn't believe what he was hearing. Blacksword actually took the rules of engagement into account? That wasn't something he would have guessed.

"As for Captain Sparrow, it's a long story. The two of us were-" Blacksword suddenly stopped. Will had suddenly turned several shades paler.

It was interesting to see the blacksmith turn that pale. In the Caribbean, most people had some form of tan; it was inevitable. The blacksmith was no exception, and though his was nowhere near as dark as someone who had lived in the Caribbean their whole life, it was still there.

The pirate stood there for a few minutes, attempting to figure out what was wrong. He hadn't done anything, at least within the last couple of minutes. Finally it dawned on him just how much blood the other had lost within the past day, especially during this beating. Obviously, Will could no longer hide how he felt.

Black Andrew smirked slightly. Will was stubborn, he'd give him that, but he would soon break him. It was already starting.

As he watched, Will's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out.

Blacksword cut the ropes holding up the now unconscious man, letting his body drop back to the deck. "Ricky," he called, "come here."

As he waited for the other man, the pirate dispassionately kicked Will, not hard but just to show his contempt. He rolled the blacksmith over onto his back sing his foot, and being none too gentle about it.

He stared darkly at the pale, bloody face. He remembered the tears that had been falling down the other's face. 'Yes,' he thought to himself, pleased, 'He has already begun to break. Soon, I'll have complete control over when he dies.' A smile edged his face, 'Yes, this is working out perfectly.'

Ricky came up to him. "Yes, Captain?"

"Take him to the brig. Put him in that isolated cell. Make sure to put him in shackles and stake him to the floor. I didn't want Sparrow to be able to get him out of here yet, in case he gets here today."

Ricky nodded in compliance and dragged up the young man.

As Ricky left, Blacksword murmured, "Captain Sparrow, I have your best friend. He is mine and there is nothing you can do to prevent his death."

* * *

Chris smirked as he found Black Andrew. "Captain, I have an idea. I know the best way to get him to break completely."

Andrew turned to him, the blacksmith's blood still on his clothes. "Now you have an idea as well? You're really getting into this, aren't you?" He then nodded, "Go ahead."

Blacksword's first mate- Chris- smiled, "Well, from what we know, the young Mr. Turner is Captain Sparrow's closest friend, right? Therefore, we can assume Captain Sparrow is his closest friend."

His captain nodded. "Yes," he replied slowly, not catching were this was leading.

"Don't you see? What could possibly be more upsetting than having your best friend torturing you?"

A slight smile flickered across Blacksword's face but it didn't remain. "It's a good idea, but first of all, we don't have Captain Sparrow with us, do we? Besides, even if we did, there would be no way we could force him to do that. If what we know is true, he'd rather die than do that to his blacksmith friend."

"I thought of that, and here's my solution: Who ever said it was going to be Sparrow doing it?"

Blacksword blinked in confusion, "Huh? But… how-"

"He's a respectable man, Will Turner is. I would bet my life he's never gotten drunk. So, what we do is get him drunk, and possibly drug him up, and then beat him. Then, while we're doing that, let Grant do his thing and the blacksmith, as out of it as he would be, would believe it was Sparrow doing it."

A malicious, bloodthirsty smile spread across the pirate captain's face, accompanied by a soft laugh. "Chris, sometimes you amaze me. Quite an inventive torture method. It will have to wait until tomorrow, though. Grant will need time to practice his part."

Grant was a young pirate- probably not more than twenty-five years old, though no one knew for sure- that Blacksword had picked up four years ago. Grant had only been part of the crew for a few months when Blacksword had first run into Jack Sparrow and Grant- like Blacksword- had taken a passionate disliking to the man.

Grant, though, had a special talent, and it was this talent that had made Blacksword choose to let him come along. Grant could mimic a person's voice, perfectly, after hearing it only once.

"You know Chris, since you came up with the idea, you can be the first to torture him. After that, though, you must leave and… just happen to find Captain Sparrow and… inform him of what I have done."

Chris bowed slightly, "Thank you, Captain. It is a most gracious offer." He turned and started away.

"Chris," Black Andrew called, "make sure you keep his shoulder in mind. After all, broken bones tend to be painful."

The heartless laugh that escaped Chris echoed through the ship, long after the actual laughter had died away.

* * *

"Please, Captain Sparrow, please," the eight-year-old begged. "I want to be a pirate. Why can't you give me a pirate's brand?"

Jack sighed, wishing, not for the first time, that Will were here to explain something to the boy. "You're too young," he explained.

He was standing at the wheel, one hand resting lightly on it as he tried to explain himself to Jackie. He personally didn't have a problem with the boy getting branded but he knew Will would not have approved, had he still been alive.

Pain flared through his heart briefly at the thought of Will. It no longer occurred as often, yet when it did, the pain was just as strong.

"Well, how about in a few months? My birth day is in about four months, how about then?" Jackie pressed.

"Jackie, no! Do you understand how mad your mother would be with me if I let you get branded? So, no. Not until you get a lot older.'"

The boy fell silent and he looked down, large eyes watching the deck. Jack rolled his eyes. 'Oh, great. Now he's going to start crying.'

To his surprise, though, the eight-year-old didn't. Instead, after a few minutes he glanced back up and asked, "Captain Sparrow, what are we going to do when we get back to Port Royal? Are mom and I going to stay on the Black Pearl with you?"

The pirate wasn't sure how to answer the boy's question. He still hadn't decided what exactly would be the best thing to do about them. "I'm not sure," Jack admitted. "It will depend on what your mother thinks. She's still the one in charge."

"Are you afraid of my mom?" Jackie asked suddenly.

"No, I'm not afraid of her. I just know it's not a good idea to get on your mother's bad side."

The little boy smiled slightly. Most of the child's injuries had started to heal and he was no longer constantly hungry and tired. The most obvious signs of what had happened to him were the cut along his lips that had already begun to scar over and the burns on his wrist and neck.

Not only that, but Jack had also managed to keep the child's spirits up. At first it had been difficult; Jackie had constantly moped around or cried and Jack had been unable to do much for the boy because he had been to preoccupied by his own emotions. Now, though Jack still felt the pressing feeling of guilt that he had caused Will's death and the sadness that was so foreign a feeling for him, he was able to make the boy actually smile and had even once drawn a laugh from him.

"Are you going to tell mom about… about dad? Or am I?" There was no missing his hesitation to mention his father, both because of his own feelings about it and also because of Jack's.

"I'll tell her. You don't need to. It's my fault; I should tell her."

"Dad wouldn't blame you."

"I know he wouldn't. That's why he was such a good person."

* * *

It had been a day since Chris's idea and now the preparations had finally been completed. Grant had gotten Jack's voice down perfectly and Black Andrew was deeply pleased.

Ricky stalked into Will's cell, dark eyes filled with both loathing and excitement. Glazed, unfocused eyes met his, confusion and misery written deeply in them. In the blacksmith's eyes, there was every indication of his state.

Not more than two hours previous, Ricky and Grant had drugged him and forced him to get drunk. Will had struggled and screamed desperately, knowing whatever they were preparing him for would be absolute hell. He had not been able to stop them and now his body and mind were suffering because of it.

"Come on, time to have some fun," Ricky snickered to Will.

In some small part of his sluggish, reeling mind, Will realized something bad was going to happen but he couldn't do anything to stop it. The small part of him that still realized the danger was frustrated by his helplessness.

Ricky undid the shackles holding the prisoner to the floor of the brig.

He had to force the younger man to his feet and he was only mildly surprised when the blacksmith's knees buckled under him.

Will lay on the ground, breathing heavily, his heart pounding furiously in his chest. As he breathed, pain shot through his shoulder in time with his gasps of breath. The broken bone in it would grind against itself, the pain nearly bringing him to tears. Yellow spots danced before his eyes and his vision blurred.

Ricky groaned as he realized the other wouldn't be getting up on his own. He was tired of being the one to drag the blacksmith around. He would be glad when the young man died.

The pirate bent down and jerked Will to his feet, not bothering to be careful of his broken shoulder. The other swayed slightly, even with Ricky holding him up.

"Let's go, you don't want to miss anything do you? After Grant went through all that trouble for you, you had best appreciate what he did for you."

Will was scared and it was a feeling he hated. It was a fairly foreign emotion to him and he wasn't used to it. Part of him was relieved Jack wasn't aboard the Assassin because his pride wouldn't allow him to be seen by the pirate captain in the state he was in.

Ricky was slightly relived when the blacksmith didn't struggle against him. Will had been strangely subdued since they had drugged him. Obviously, the young man had never before been introduced to those drugs or that much alcohol.

It wasn't a fun job attempting to get Will to the other side of the ship when he couldn't even support himself. By the time they finally did get there, Ricky was fed up with the other and greatly looking forward to watching Chris and Grant wreak havoc with his mind and body.

Ricky released the prisoner and, without anyone helping him support himself, Will's knees gave out, dropping him once again to the floor. He shut his eyes as pain flashed through him. If only there was a release from the pain; yet no solution presented itself.

Blacksword had stood off to the side and watched Ricky's treatment of the prisoner. A grim smile flickered across his face. Ricky definitely had a passionate disliking of Will. Though, he supposed the dislike was justified.

The evil captain walked up to Will. "You are a lucky one. Not many of our prisoners get some of our best liquor." He said this because he knew how the blacksmith had to feel about getting drunk.

Dark brown eyes stared up at him, squinting slightly. Even as normally unaware of the other's emotions as he was, Blacksword could see the misery, pain, and fear written in the young man's eyes, along with the glazed confusion that came from being as drugged and intoxicated as he was.

Blacksword motioned for Chris and Grant to approach. The two did so, only too willingly. Grant had been looking forward to this since he had found out about it. His hatred towards Jack Sparrow would be put into convincing Will that it was indeed the captain of the Black Pearl that was beating him. All of them- captain and crew- were curious as to Will's reaction to the real Jack when he finally got there.

Chris crouched down in front of Will. Grant cleared his throat, then asked- his voice a perfect imitation of Jack's- "Will? Will?"

Will's eyes widened slightly, his drugged mind instantly supplying the mental image of Jack. "J… Jack?" he stammered weakly. "Jack, wha… what are you doing here?"

Grant couldn't help but smile. The young blacksmith needed very little to convince him of Jack's presence. This was going to be fun.

"Will, are you okay?" Grant asked smile still on his face. Chris looked over his shoulder at Grant, glaring darkly. What was Grant doing? He was supposed to be mentally tormenting the prisoner, not comforting him! Grant noticed the glare and winked; he knew what he was doing.

"I… think so," Will answered slowly.

"Good." Grant nodded to Chris. Chris drew back and punched the other man, snapping his head into the floor.

The brown eyes watching them glazed over even further and a sharp yelp escaped him. Fear and confusion flickered through Will's eyes. "Jack? Wha… what did I do?" Nothing in Will's mind could come up with any reason for Jack to be mad at him.

Grant didn't answer and Chris punched him again. Will's mind was spinning in helpless, confused circles. Jack was his best friend; why was he doing this to him?

Blacksword's first mate reached into his belt and slowly pulled out a knife. Will's unfocused eyes widened further. "Jack? Jack, what… what are you doing?" His heart sped up and he started breathing faster, his gasping intakes coming in hurried gasps. As the beating of his heart became faster, he started having more problems remaining conscious.

"You little bastard, did you honestly think a pirate like me could ever be friends with someone like you?" Grant questioned, obviously enjoying the torment he was instilling in the prisoner.

Will stared in disbelief, though his eyes weren't actually focused on anything. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! Yet, he could hear Jack's voice and his mind was instantly supplying the pictures to accompany it.

Chris took the blade of his knife and lightly ran the edge along Will's chest. It slowly came to rest over his ribs; close to the wound Blacksword had given him- one of them at least, the one just to the left of his stomach.

He slowly increased pressure to the blade, slowly forcing the serrated edge between two of Will's ribs. Will tensed and screamed as waves of agony rolled through his body. 'Jack,' he thought through his pain, 'why are you doing this to me? I thought we were friends; I trusted you!'

Chris twisted the knife as far as the ribs it was between would allow, attempting to do as much damage and instill as much pain as possible without fatally injuring the prisoner. Will arched his back against the floor slightly against the floor, trying in vain to escape the agony assaulting him.

Salty tears began to slowly roll down Will's cheeks, fear and agony beginning to rise to the breaking point. "Jack," he whimpered, "Jack, please. Please… stop."

Grant laughed harshly, "I shall not show you mercy, for you are deserving of none."

Suddenly, Chris ripped out his knife, easily doing as much, if not more, damage as it came out than as it went in. Will screamed again as he felt the serrated blade edge biting into and ripping out of flesh and muscle, scraping dangerously against the inside of his ribs.

His vision blurred and his glazed eyes clouded over even further. "Jack…" he murmured in a whisper before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and consciousness fled him. His body went completely limp in front of Chris.

"Chris, wake him up," Grant said, momentarily dropping his imitation of Captain Sparrow's voice. "He's not getting out of this so easily."

Roughly taking hold of the young blacksmith's shoulders, Chris squeezed hard on Will's right shoulder, forcing the bone to shift out of place. The bone moved, grinding harshly against itself and sending white flashes of pain through the unconscious body. Chris could only speculate on just how much pain he was causing.

As pain flashed through his body, it jolted his mind back into awareness. Will almost started crying again as he realized the temporary relief had been just that- temporary.

"What's this?" Grant taunted, once again imitating Jack's voice. "Broken already? I thought you were stubborn." As he was saying this, Chris flipped his knife over and began digging the hilt into Will's broken shoulder.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, all of Will's resolve and pride shattered and he burst into tears. "Please… stop," he begged, no longer able to stand it any more. "Jack, please, don't. What ever I did… whatever it was… I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry… whatever I did. Just stop, please."

Blacksword smiled; he had been trying to break Will for several days and had been unable to do so. Now, after less than an hour, Chris had successfully and completely broken the prisoner's will.

Continuing to press hard on Will's shoulder with the hilt of his knife, Chris could barely contain his laughter. He could feel the bone shifting and grinding against itself as it also ripped through the muscles there, and he knew that if he felt it, then it had to be absolute hell for Will.

Will continued sobbing, hot tears sliding down his cheeks. His anguish was making it difficult to breathe and it choked off his breath. He couldn't take it any more, and at the moment he would have given almost anything to die. Unfortunately, Blacksword and his crew were nowhere near done with him, and they were not about to let their leverage over Jack Sparrow slip away.

Then, still keeping the hilt dug into Will's shoulder, Chris reached over and poised his fist over the other's face. "I grow tired of you," Grant sneered finally. "I will see you again later."

With that, Chris slammed his fist into Will's face, cracking his skull once again into the floor under him. Both the pain in his shoulder and ribs, and now the ache in his skull caused everything to swim sickeningly. Will, no longer having any reason to remain conscious, let his mind flee into blessed, painless oblivion, but before it completely slid from him, one final word slipped from his lips.

"Jack…"

* * *

He was deeply pleased and doubted he'd get much more so until Jack Sparrow was dead.

Blacksword was standing in the brig, watching his unconscious prisoner with interest. He had already sent Chris in a rowboat to find Jack Sparrow, even though it had only been five hours since they had finished tormenting the young blacksmith.

He slowly paced in front of the cell, his mind drifting slightly. Chris had been told to do anything he had to in order to convince Captain Sparrow that his friend was indeed a captive to him.

A delighted shudder ran through him. It was going well. In fact, he highly doubted that there would be any problems having the young Turner die once Jack got there. In honesty, the biggest problem would be keeping him alive for that long.

At that thought, Black Andrew turned his attention back to Will, carefully trying to evaluate his condition. The young man had lost a lot of blood and so many of his injuries were serious and even bordering on fatal. The only good thing was that he was stubborn, or at least he had been before he had completely broken under Chris's torture. Hopefully he still had enough strength left in him to stay alive, at least until Sparrow came to save him.

Black Andrew shook his head slightly. Will Turner was a bloody, broken body with nothing left to keep him alive. As a person, he would have been aware of just how precariously balanced Will's life was and just how little it would take to tip it and send it crashing over the edge to death, yet with Andrew the way he was, he was completely oblivious. All he understood was that he had Will at his absolute mercy.

With a shake of his head, he thought to himself, 'Pluto, I know you can hear me. Use your powers to keep Will Turner alive until Jack Sparrow gets here. Then you'll have an innocent soul like you want and we'll both be happy.'

There was no verbal answer, but Blacksword could sense the god's agreement. A smile spread across his face; all was going as planned. Jack Sparrow did not have a prayer.

TBC

One last thing. Torture is FUN! Okay, I'm done.


	8. Let the Truth be Know

I'M BACK!

Grrrrrrr. Stupid hurricane. We had to delay going on our vacation because of Dennis, then we wind up not even losing power. I wound up spending the whole time watching the older episodes of Power Rangers, thinking about how cute Tommy, Jason, and Adam are. Wow, call me pathetic.

Oh, BIG NEWS! For anyone into video games, the new Kingdom Hearts game that's coming out will have a Pirates of the Caribbean world. HOW COOL IS THAT! Both Will and Jack are going to be in it for sure, and probably Elizabeth too.

Anyways, thanks to ALL my reviewers. I love you bunches!

**Smithy** – Um, yes poor Will… And it shall only get worse. Mwahahahaha! Yes, I know I'm evil.

**Trinilee Greenleaf – **Ack! Can't breathe! Big hug… Only defense… must hug back… #gives big monster hug# Now we shall both feel the power of the hug. Haha! OMG, thanks for the compliment, now I feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Glad the torture was good, 'cause that's the fun stuff. Nope, not Jack. And I'm back so here's you next chapter, oh mighty one.

**Daphnebandweenie – **Yes, Will torture is fun. And Jack is just fun to mess with. Somehow, I don't think band camp will be pushed back or cancelled. #pout# Stupid band camp? Hey, do you know your music, because I don't. Hmmmm Might need to learn that.

**Sanquinedarkness666 – **Abby, I think Will needs just a tad bit more than a band-aid, but feel free to give him one anyways, along with the hug. I'll be busy hugging on Jack. Ha! He's mine, I tell you. You're taking AP English? Cool, maybe we'll have class together. BTW, make sure you read Crossing Paths by Weesta. One of the most awesome Power Rangers fics EVER! It's really getting good.

**SpufFAn – **Welcome aboard, and glad you liked the torture. Don't worry, this will not wind up an abandoned story, the whole thing is already typed and raring to go. Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy.

**Marie Crosby – **Just don't jump through the roof and hurt yourself. I'd cry. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with a taste for torture stories. Fanfiction. The only thing in which being called horrible can be a good thing. Glad you like. Here's the next chapter.

Okay, just a warning but this chapter switches over to Jack, so we'll get back to the Will torture next chapter. Just wanted you to know.

**---------------------**

**BlackSword**

**---------------------**

**Chapter 8**

One Week Later

Jack Sparrow sighed slightly; in less than a week he would reach Port Bryant and drop Jackie off with his mother. What he wasn't looking forward to though, was telling Elizabeth that he husband was dead.

He paced slowly around the wheel of the ship, his mind wandering slightly. He had no clue how he was going to tell her. Jack stopped and closed his eyes. He could see Elizabeth in his mind and could also see her reaction. It did not sit well with him making her cry like that, and he knew she would.

'You could make her happy again. There are ways to give her pleasure and take her mind off Will,' something in the back of his mind said.

Jack recoiled from the thought, horrified. Where had that thought come from? He shook his head hard. No! He would not take Will's wife! He had promised to protect Elizabeth and Jackie, and that was _all_ he would do.

Turning back to the sea, his eyes roamed over the crystal waters. Suddenly, his eyes spotted something on the horizon, something that should not have been there. "Paul, Miguel, look over to the port side, what do you see?"

The two other pirates slowly went to the rail and stared over the sea. "It… it appears to be a… a rowboat," Paul replied, voice sounding amazed. It's… alone, too."

Jack nodded slowly; it was as he had thought, but that didn't mean it wasn't surprising. What was a lone rowboat doing in the middle of the Caribbean?

"Captain?" Miguel asked, glancing towards Jack over his shoulder. "Should we assist them?" As he said this, he gestured out to the small boat.

Jack hesitated for several seconds, unsure of what he should do. He knew rescuing whoever was in the boat was the right thing to do; but he was also aware that it wasn't necessarily the smart thing to do.

Shaking his head slightly, the pirate captain remembered how many times doing the 'right thing' had gotten him into trouble. 'Hell,' he thought, 'if I hadn't been so obsessed with doing the 'right thing', Barbossa would never have mutinied against me, and I never would have lost the Black Pearl to him.' At that thought though, something occurred to him that never had before. 'Then again, if he had never mutinied against me, I would never have met Will or Elizabeth and I would have lost my best friend. On the other hand,' he thought miserably, 'if I hadn't met Will, he wouldn't be dead now.'

Miguel and Paul stood, waiting patiently for Jack's orders. Finally, he looked up, "Yes, we'll assist them. Get ready to bring 'em aboard."

'Sometimes I hate being a good person,' Jack grumbled to himself. The sole reason he was doing this was because he knew that it was what Will would do, and what Will would be telling him to do, if he were here.

It took several minutes to get to the small boat, but once they did they quickly got the lone man on board. The blue-eyed man stood blinking at the pirates in front on him. Indeed, most people would have been scared, seeing three pirates staring at him with several more doing their jobs in the rigging of the ship and many more unseen below deck.

Holding out his hand, Jack said, "I'm Captain Sparrow, welcome aboard the Black Pearl, mate." The other man shook hands with Jack, and the pirate captain asked, "And who might you be?"

"Name's Chris."

As he said this, almost as if he had heard him, Jackie came up from below deck and stopped as he caught sight of the man. Snapping out of his shock, the eight-year-old ran over to Jack. "Captain Sparrow, what's he doing here?"

A small jolt of fear shot up Chris's spine. Hopefully, the little boy hadn't realized he was actually Black Andrew's first mate and instead still thought of him as prisoner.

Jack cautiously eyes Chris, hand resting on the small boy's shoulder. "He was stranded in a rowboat. Why? Do you recognize him?"

"Sure, he was one of Blacksword's prisoners while I was there. I guess Blacksword let him go, either that or he escaped."

"Hello, Jack," Chris said, as soon as he got the chance to say something to the boy. "He got mad at me after you escaped, guess he thought I had something to do with you getting away. Anyway, he tossed me in the boat and hoped I die of hunger or dehydration." The man shrugged, "Oh, well, it was better than being his prisoner."

"I can imagine," the boy murmured.

Suddenly, Paul looked up at Jack, a strange gleam in his eyes. "Captain Sparrow, could I talk to you? Without the kid, and preferably without anyone else."

"In other words, alone," Jack said softly. "Why?" It wasn't that he was afraid of Chris or being alone with him, it was merely that at the moment he didn't feel like keeping secrets from Jackie.

"Some things I have to say are not suitable for a child to hear," Chris replied, "and I doubt you would like for the crew to hear all I must say."

Slowly Jack nodded in acceptance. "Fine, we'll talk in my quarters. We shall be alone there." Turning on his heel, he started below deck. "Miguel," he called back, "take the helm. I'll be back soon." Chris turned and followed closely behind Jack, an evil smirk on his face that no one could see.

Once they reached Jack's quarters, the pirate captain bolted the door behind them. "Now, what do you have to say?"

Chris quickly turned to Jack and sneered, letting only a small portion of his detest towards this man show through. "You're a bloody traitor, Jack Sparrow." Chris's blue eyes flashed, "I hope you're happy with yourself. How can you live with yourself, knowing as you do, what you did?"

Jack reeled back slightly. Ever since his dealing with Barbossa, the words traitor and mutineer had strongly affected him. Now, to hear this man accuse him of being a traitor… it was strangely disturbing. "What do you mean?" he demanded, once his shock wore off.

"What do I mean? Not even traitor describes what you are. Traitor can't fully describe the crime you committed in abandoning your best friend to a fate worse than death."

The pain that flashed through Jack nearly knocked him to the ground. His heart ached at the thought of Will and it was hard not to punch Chris for what he said. Pushing down his sorrow, he asked, "What do you mean?" His caramel eyes reflected his emotions clearly.

Chris's lip twitched, "In my opinion, since you abandoned Will Turner aboard the Assassin, that makes you a traitor."

"Will's dead," Jack said sadly. "I never would have left him otherwise."

"He's dead, is he?" Chris shook his head, "Then you must have seen him within the last week, for that was when I last saw him."

Jack's eyes narrowed slightly, "No, I saw him about… two weeks ago now. He died when we were rescuing Jackie; Blacksword slit his throat."

The sharp, mocking laughter that escaped from Chris caused anger to flash through Jack. "Blacksword _almost_ slit his throat," Chris corrected. "Although, after what Blacksword did to him, he's probably been begging for death."

Another wave of cold anger flashed through Jack. He didn't believe Chris, he couldn't believe Chris- if he got his hopes up and Chris ended up being wrong, or lying to him… he'd break into a million pieces on the spot. Despite that, he couldn't control his anger towards the person saying this, especially since Chris had suggested that Will would be begging for death. It was an absurd thought! One that Jack didn't like having suggested, either.

"To hell with your bloody lies," Jack sneered. "If I'd have known this was all you'd do, I would have left you in the rowboat."

"And in doing so you would have condemned your friend to death," Chris said. His voice lowered slightly, "You don't believe me, do you?" He watched the pirate carefully, but he fully understood his suspicions.

"No, and I don't see any reason for me to start either."

"What if I could offer you proof? Then would you believe me?"

"Possibly."

Chris sighed, 'What can I tell him that will make Captain Sparrow believe me? I could tell him what they've done to him, but he'd probably think I made it up.' A sudden thought struck him and he was suddenly very glad he had had to watch the prisoner one night before he had left.

"You had an argument with him, didn't you? Before you went aboard the Assassin."

Jack's eyes widened slightly, "How did you know about that?" His voice was a hoarse whisper and shock showed clearly on his face.

Chris almost smiled; he had Jack now. From here it would be easy to convince Sparrow that his friend was indeed alive. Black Andrew would be pleased.

"I overheard him one night. He was only semiconscious at the time and kept going on about some argument you had. He made it sound like you didn't get to apologize to each other, so I guessed it must have happened right before the two of you came aboard the ship." He cocked his head slightly. "It almost sounded as if… the argument had something to do with rum… or getting drunk, or something else like that."

Jack stared in shock, his mind reeling. Slowly sinking onto his bed, he sat there, millions of things running through his mind. 'How does he know that? No one but Miguel, Paul, and I are supposed to know about that. There is no possible way for him to know about it. Paul and Miguel didn't tell him; I didn't either. Is it possible-?"

For the first time that day, Jack allowed a small amount of hope to fill him. Will… was quite possibly alive. "When did you last see him? How was he? Was he okay?" he demanded quickly.

Chris laughed softly, "So, suddenly you believe me? Why?"

"It doesn't matter. Just answer my question!" Jack couldn't help the agitation that crept into his voice.

When Chris didn't answer, Jack almost growled. Chris was toying with him. This man could see how much he cared about Will, and here he was, withholding information from him. It was enough to make him want to strangle the other. In fact, he probably would have, if there had been any other way to find out about Will.

Chris noticed the dark glare Jack had given him and he quickly shut up, stifling his laughter. "I'm sorry; it must be frustrating, me not answering you." He turned serious. "What do you want to know… and one question at a time, please."

Sighing, Jack asked, "Where is he?"

"Aboard the Assassin. Blacksword has made him his prisoner."

Hot anger burned inside Jack. He had left Will and now because of it, the young man was a prisoner to a heartless pirate. "When did you last see him?" he questioned, doing a fairly decent job of hiding his emotions.

Chris seemed to think for a moment before answering, "Probably about nine days ago. It might have been ten or eight, but about that."

"How is he? Is he okay?" Slight fear had crept into his voice. It was the answers to these questions that he feared most.

Chris hesitated, unsure of how to answer. He knew everything he needed to tell Sparrow, but he didn't know how much to reveal at the moment.

The silence that filled the small room made Jack's heart skip several beats. Fear filled his entire being and horror seeped into him. "He… he's okay, isn't he?" In his heart, he couldn't stand the thought of Will being mercilessly and brutally tormented.

"Depends on what you mean by 'okay'," Chris slowly answered. His blue eyes flickered slightly. "If by 'okay' you mean alive, then barely."

Jack's heart came to a crashing stop in his chest, and his body went decidedly numb. The horror that had been slowly filling him was suddenly a pressing wave, growing steadily in intensity. "B… barely alive," he repeated numbly.

As he watched the pirate captain, Chris became increasingly aware of the pain and fear inside the other's heart. He slowly nodded, wondering how much detail he should delve into during his retelling of what had been done to the young blacksmith.

"All things considering, he's lucky to still be alive. Blacksword had put him through absolute hell."

Jack's head snapped up and suddenly Chris had his absolute attention. "What had Blacksword done to him? I want to know everything." In truth, Jack was scared of what he was about to hear, but he needed to know what kind of shape Will was in.

Inside, Chris smiled. Now the fun would begin. He could only imagine what kind of reaction Jack was going to have to the horror stories he was about to tell him.

"Blacksword had tortured him every day he has been aboard the Assassin. The first day it was mostly mental things, except for the knife he ran through the kid's gut."

Jack turned surprisingly pale. "Wh… what?" he stammered, a fresh wave of horror skittering up and down his spine.

"Well, not actually 'through' his gut, because he was careful not to actually hit any of his organs but," Chris shrugged offhandedly, "the knife still went through his ribs." After a short pause he continued, "After that first day though, Blacksword showed him absolutely no mercy."

"His favorite thing, I think, was tying the blacksmith to the mast and beating him like that, much like he did to the kid, only worse. And his favorite thing to use on him was the whip."

Chris shook his head slightly. "I honestly doubt he will ever manage to get the blood out of the mast." This, at least, was sincere. "If he was a person, he would realize just how much physical and emotional damage he's been doing to your friend, but since he sold his soul, he's been completely oblivious."

"So he did actually sell his soul," Jack muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Nodding, Chris decided to continue, "As I was saying, Blacksword would tie him to the mast and whip him. One day, he was beating the kid- I really don't remember what Blacksword said to your friend- but Will just up and told him to 'Rot in hell'. It was surprising because normally he'd be completely silent during the beatings- he wouldn't scream, wouldn't beg, wouldn't do anything."

"As you can imagine," Chris said, "Blacksword wasn't very happy about that. He lit into your friend, cracking his head into the mast and snapping his shoulder. About that time, Will started crying. Of course, Blacksword didn't realize it, but he wasn't crying because he was hurt or scared, but it was because he was frustrated."

Those words made something inside Jack shatter. It was almost impossible to picture Will crying, and he didn't want to try to picture it.

Shaking his head, Jack considered just how unlike Will that was. Will had always been incredibly headstrong and stubborn, and, quite often worse, he had a very strong sense of dignity. Crying… that wasn't exactly how he wanted to picture the young man.

"I guess, all things considering, it would have been better for him if Blacksword had simply continued to torture him the way he was, because what they started doing was far worse," Chris said. There was no way he was foolish enough to tell Sparrow that he was the one who had devised the new torture method.

"One of Black Andrew's crew members, I believe his name was Gr… Grant- that was it- he has an amazing ability to imitate other's voices. Anyway, he and another member of his crew teamed up and totally broke him."

"Broke him?" Jack repeated dangerously. "What do you mean, 'broke him'?"

"I mean he completely broke. His pride and defiance simply shattered. He broke down and was crying and begging for them to stop and leave him be."

"Probably, the worst part of it was what Grant was doing." His eyes sadly met Jack's. "Grant was imitating your voice; your best friend now believes _you_ were the one torturing him."

All of the emotions Jack had been feeling melted away at this new revelation. It wasn't exactly horror or disgust that filled him but a combination of the two in enormous amounts. "Bastards," he hissed, "all of them are bastards." With a flash, his caramel eyes glinted.

"How did they do it?" Jack demanded. "There's no way he would believe that I was the one torturing him. He trusts me; he knows I would rather die than do that to him."

A grim smile flickered across Chris's face. "He _used_ to believe that. Grant and Ricky had to do quite a lot to convince him of that." It never occurred to Jack to ask how Chris knew their names, but at the moment, he didn't care.

"What did they do to him?" Jack asked, hands balling into helpless fists.

"They forced about a bottle-and-a-half of their strongest liquor down him, then about as much hallucinogenic drugs as safety possible into him. He had absolutely no sense of reality when w- they were beating him. They could have told him the Chinese were creatures from the stars, and he would have believed them."

Once again, the fact that he would never associate drinking and hallucinogenic drugs- hell, drugs of any kind- with Will caused Jack to cringe inwardly.

Soft shudders coursed through the pirate's body. 'Oh, God, Will. What have I gotten you into?' he wondered, the condemning thoughts rolling through his head. 'This is all my fault. If I hadn't mentioned his name that time four years ago when I first met Blacksword, he never even would have known Will existed.'

Hanging his head, Jack almost started crying. The only thing keeping him from doing so was the fact that Chris was still in the room.

"Are you going to attempt to rescue him?" Chris asked suddenly. This was of importance; Blacksword wanted him to make sure Captain Sparrow understood this above all else.

Jack's head snapped up, "Of course, I'm _not_ going to just leave him aboard the Assassin."

"Then you had best hurry." Noticing the questioning look in the other pirate's caramel eyes, Chris explained further, "I overheard Blacksword talking; the reason he's keeping your friend alive is to draw you to him. And he's only giving you a limited amount of time." Pausing for a moment, he continued. "By now, I'd say you have about two weeks and two days left."

"What!" Jack asked in alarm. "I only have two weeks to find Will before Blacksword kills him?"

"And two days," Chris reminded.

Jack stood and walked over to the wall and angrily kicked it. "He's just toying with us," he muttered. "He's taunting me; he's trying to make this impossible." Turning back to Chris, he glared angrily at the blue-eyed man. "Blacksword is going to kill Will no matter what, isn't he?'

It was almost scary, just how close Jack was to the truth. Chris couldn't- and wouldn't- tell Jack the whole truth, that would destroy everything, but he would give just enough information to raise the captain's anger.

"That's the way it seems," he answered with a shrug. "All I know is this" Blacksword has your best friend and is using him as bait to lure you there. The question is, whose life do you value more? His… or yours?"

There was no hesitation in Jack's answer. "His. I would give my life for him, no questions asked, and absolutely no regrets. He would do the same for me."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, 'why'?"

"Why would a respectable blacksmith sacrifice his life for a scum-bag pirate- no offense- like yourself? And why would a pirate risk his life for another person, when there is nothing to be gained?"

"Because, he's my friend. As for why he'd risk his life for mine, I don't know. I have never understood why he even trusts me; in my opinion, I have done nothing to deserve it. He simply does."

Talking about his friend like this used to send jolts of sorrow and pain through his heart; now it sent a flash of guilt through him. His mind flickered back to that, at least for a moment. 'I never should have left him. This is my fault. If he dies because of this…"

Quickly shaking that thought away, he forced his mind to return to other thoughts. "Are you positive of all you said? Are you sure it's the truth?"

"It's what I overheard."

Jack closed his eyes and Chris could easily see the Kohl that outlined them. "Is there anything else?"

Chris shook his head, blue eyes showing his uncertainty.

"Good," Jack said shortly. Turning abruptly he went to his door and unlatched it. He quietly stalked out of his cabin and up to the deck, Chris flowing closely behind.

Miguel started to smile as he caught sight of his captain but stopped when he noticed the look on his face. "Captain?" he asked softly, eyes full of questioning.

Jack didn't answer; he simply jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards Chris. Miguel nodded and nudged Paul, who was standing beside him. The two men quickly walked over to stand alongside the man.

Chris eyes them warily. "Sparrow," he demanded, "what's going on?"

Jack looked up from where he had retaken his place at the wheel. "You didn't think you were going to stay aboard the Pearl, did you? You're going back to your rowboat."

Blue eyes widened and stared, trying to determine if the Captain was joking. He wasn't.

Miguel and Paul took hold of his arms and drug him to the side of the ship. The small rowboat was floating in the water next to the Black Pearl. Miguel picked up the other man and threw him overboard while Paul cut the rope holding the small boat to the much bigger pirate ship.

As he bobbed back up, Chris yelled up, "You're going to get what's coming for you, Jack Sparrow. And it's not just going to affect you, it'll affect your friends as well. They are all going to die because if you!"

Staring stonily ahead, Jack tried to ignore what Chris said. "Set the sails," he ordered. "We have a new destination." Paul ran off to assist the rest of the crew in hoisting the sails, but Miguel instead stayed close to Jack.

"Captain, are you okay? Aren't you going to drop the boy off in Port Bryant first?" he asked.

"We don't have time."

"What do you mean? We're only three days from Port Bryant."

Jack's eyes flickered, "Unfortunately, we don't have that time to spare. We may need every day we can get."

Miguel cocked his head, "Does this have anything to do with something Chris said?"

Nodding slowly, Jack debated what to tell Miguel. When his eyes finally met Miguel's there was a small amount of sadness in them, along with a large amount of guilt. "He's alive," he whispered.

The other's dark eyes blinked. "Huh? Who?"

"Will; he's alive. He's Blacksword's prisoner, but he's alive. Or at least he was a week ago."

Miguel stood in stunned surprise. Slowly, almost timidly, he asked, "Captain, do you realize that if he is still alive, he'll have been a prisoner to Blacksword for two weeks? About fifty percent of his prisoners die before then."

Anger flashed through Jack, though most of it was directed more towards himself than actually Miguel. "I know that," he snapped. "Which is why we have to find them as soon as possible."

Taking a deep breath, Jack forced his anger down. "We only have two weeks and two days before Blacksword kills Will. We _must_ find the Assassin before that."

The Spaniard blinked, then said quietly, not meaning for Jack to hear, "_If_ he's still alive then."

Unfortunately, Jack did hear the soft comment and his head snapped around to stare at Miguel. "Don't! Don't even say it!"

"Captain, you have to accept the fact that it is highly unlikely you'll get to him before he dies."

Jack's eyes narrowed. He knew perfectly well the truth behind Miguel's statement, yet it didn't mean he was willing to accept it. In fact, he didn't want to accept the truth of Will's vulnerability and morality.

Swallowing hard, Miguel watched Jack closely. The stubborn denial in the pirate captain made Miguel nervous. If Jack didn't accept the very real possibility of his friend dying, then when it happened- and the problem was, it probably was going to happen- Jack would not be able to accept the reality of what had happened.

Jack was… already slightly mentally unstable; if Will died and Jack was unable to get over it, Jack's mental condition would go completely downhill.

Suddenly, Jack spun, abandoning the wheel and walking over to the rail, leaning miserably against it. He hung his head, "I'm sorry, Miguel. I know you're telling the truth, it's just… I can't take this. It's my fault Will's in this trouble. If he dies, it'll be my fault. He's my best friend; I don't think I'll be able to handle it."

Miguel walked up beside his captain, "It's okay, Captain Sparrow. Besides, don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine. After all, he's your best friend; if he can put up with you, he can handle anything. He's a stubborn person; nothing will happen to him."

The smile that flickered across Jack's face was quickly replaced by dull sadness. "It's already far too late for that," Jack said with incredible softness. "Far, far too late."

TBC

Well, now at least Jack's not out of the loop. I'll update soon, so be ready for more torture.

Ben Skywalker, out.


	9. Hell Can't be Worse

"We have a possible spinal injury with a possible blueberry, possible shock with a possible apple, and a ride-along kiwi." Hahahahaha! #notices everyone staring# Leave me alone, you don't understand.

Eek! I've hit 60 reviews! I feel LOVED!

Okay, first order of business. I have decided to give away a free evil pirate to each reviewer for them to do what they want with. Anyone who wants BlackSword, Chris, Grant, and/or Roxy, I will start the bidding at one invisible cookie each. Hehehe. Cookies.

Anyways, this chapter goes back to Will, so expect some more owwies.

**Williz – **Yay! You're back! I missed you last chapter. And yes, Jack knows. I'm uber glad you liked that chapter, so here's the next one.

**Smithy – **Weee, someone noticed. I don't know why but I personally find it more fun to physically torture Will and mentally torture Jack. #shrugs# Oh well, it all works for me. As to whether or not it will end soon… Well, I'd say we've maybe hit the half-way mark.

**Trinilee Greenleaf – **Ack! Hug… Dying… You know what I'll do? I'll give you another bear hug, and pass your hug along to Will. I think he needs more than I do at the moment. Hehe. Oh, and, as I said earlier, definate yes to Tommy and Adam. There was this one episode where Tommy went shirtless for a good ten minutes at least. Drool. And Jason wsan't bad shirtless either. And I'll give you an extra evil pirate minion. Since we're currently bidding on the main ones, you can take out your anger on the nameless ones. Enjoy!

**Sanquinedarkness666 – **Yes, Jack is mad. Okay, I know we share Jack but still… You also share Will with Bethany, whereas I don't, so can't Jack be a teensie bit more mine than yours? Please? #puppy dog pout# Mr. LaPlame will be driven up the walls if we're in the same class. And I did see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. My favorite line had to be, "Everything in this room it eatable. Even I'm eatable. But that children, is called cannibalism, and is not accepted in most nations." Haha! I loved it.

**Daphnebandweenie – **Good, then I'm not the only one who doesn't know my music. Ack! Band camp starts Monday! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! One the bright side though, only a month until I turn seventeen! Yay!

**SpufFan – **I couldn't forget you, that would be bad. And I know about the whole action thing, it tends to come in spurts. Sorry. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Random Reviewing Person – **Here's a tissue. Hope you're okay, 'cause all systems are go for more Will torture. You have been warned.

**MagRowan – **And yet another new reviewer! Yay! I'm thrilled that you like my story. It sends warm, fuzzies through me. Hmmm, some semblance of okay… well, you'll just have to keep reading and judge for yourself. That's cool about how you picture the characters though. I don't know who Dawg is because I've never seen Cutthroat Island, but I do agree with you about Jackie though. Sometimes when I was writing, he would just sound (in my head, of course) so much like Alex O'Connell that it was scary. I actually went back and made sure I didn't steal Alex's "My dad is going to kick your ass." line. But that's cool since they're the same age. Anyway, glad you like it and here's more.

Um… I think that's all I have to say. Except there is a torture warning for this chapter. Be prepared, and on to the new chapter.

**---------------------**

**BlackSword**

**---------------------**

**Chapter 9**

Pain… white, agonizing pain. Jack. More pain. His whole life was nothing but pain and he almost couldn't remember anything before it.

Jack's face swam slowly into view. The pirate roughly grabbed onto his shoulder and forced him over. Broken bones ground together, shredding nerves and ripping through muscles. This had gone on for far too long; if the abuse to his shoulder continued, he would probably never fully regain the use of it.

Sobs racked his broken body. Will no longer even attempted to control his tears, he was so far gone. "Jack!" he whimpered brokenly. "Jack…" Another agonizing wave swept through him-

And suddenly he snapped awake, finally shaking himself free of the dark clutches of his nightmare. Shudders coursed through him and he gasped for breath. Sharp nausea filled him and he sat up quickly, despite the dizziness that assaulted him.

The sudden movement caused a sharp clank as the shackles around his wrists rattled against each other. He leaned forward and pulled himself up as far as he could and sat on his knees, most of his weight resting on his left hand as he doubled over slightly. His nausea rolled through him and he suddenly threw up.

His chest heaved again and his stomach emptied. Had he been more aware, he would have noticed the blood that came up with the rest. The worst part was that it was almost more than his weakened body could handle.

As his left arm began to shiver beneath his weight, he leaned back. What strength he had gathered quickly fled him and he fell back, the chains clanking again.

Will shuddered helplessly. Less than a week ago, the sound of the shackles would have startled him, now, though, he was used to it. The sad thing was that, at the moment, he considered it part of a normal existence and he couldn't even imagine the chains not being there.

He was so tired; he desperately needed to sleep. Yet every time he tried, he wound up caught in a hellish nightmare. Actually, memory was more like it. As tired and weak as he was, his fear of reliving the beatings 'Jack' had put him through was greater.

He almost passed out again as he struggled to get enough oxygen. Even breathing had become extraordinarily painful and difficult.

The constant struggle often made him want to just give up and die; in fact, the one thing that made him actually try to stay alive was the one thing other than the pain he remembered. Elizabeth… Elizabeth and Jackie.

Will almost smiled then, memories of his wife and son swirling in his mind. He remembered the first time he had kissed Elizabeth. They had been standing on a small balcony, overlooking the Caribbean Sea. He could still feel her touch, the way her arms slid around him and the feel of the smooth skin of her neck under his hands. Her father had been standing off to the side, watching, but they had not cared.

He longed to once again feel her lips on his, to smell the sweetness of her breath. He missed the feel of her body pressed against him.

It wasn't just the physical things he missed. He missed the way her bright eyes would light up with joy when he got home. The way her laughter rang clearly through the house… it always made him happy.

Although… he was insanely glad she wasn't here. He didn't want her to see him like this. Besides, if she had been there, she would have fought with them every single time they had come to torture him.

The ship rocked abruptly, causing him to jerk hard against his chains. Agony shot through him, completely overriding the pleasure that the thought of Elizabeth had caused. The pressure on his wrists caused the muscles in is back to tense, causing blinding flashes of pain to race through the welts along his back as they were ground into the wooden floor.

There was a strange creak, and fear jolted through him. Will knew what that sound meant. Someone was coming for him, probably so 'Jack' could torture him further.

Ricky came into view and he whimpered softly. He couldn't take much more. Something was going to have to break, and his will already had. The only thing they had left to take was his life.

"Hello, I'm surprised to see you awake," Ricky said.

Will didn't respond, instead, he merely stared up at the pirate, his dark brown eyes reflecting pain and fear.

The smile Ricky turned on Will was cold and full of malice. "Scared?" he taunted. "Good!" He bent down and pressed hard against his neck, constricting his oxygen intake.

Flailing helplessly, Will tried to force Ricky's hands off his neck but it was impossible.

Other than his broken shoulder and injured ribs, his neck was one of the things they enjoyed using to cause him pain. The cut along the base of it burned as Ricky's hand dug painfully into it.

Yellow spots danced in his vision as his body began to shut down. Just as his heart slowed to a stopping point, something jolted through him, quickly forcing it to speed back up to a normal speed.

Slowly, he realized that Ricky was no longer clamped onto his neck and that he could once again breathe. Agony rolled through his chest as his heart pounded furiously, placing more stress on the injury Blacksword had given him two weeks ago. The original stab wound located inches from his heart often throbbed as his heart sped up and hadn't healed due to the constant blood flow that ran through it.

Blood loss… that was probably the cause of the majority of his weakness, as the broken bones, stab wounds, and whiplashes were the causes of the constant agony.

Ricky smirked, "Poor blacksmith, you have absolutely no release from your pain. You can't even die; the Captain made sure of that."

It was obvious Black Andrew and his crew were aware he no longer found respite in unconsciousness.

A soft shiver ran through Will's body, and even that caused harsh agony to shoot through him. Ricky, smile still on his face, unlocked the shackles from Will's wrists. The chains fell away, leaving behind only the blood on his raw, blistered wrists.

The constant presence of the bonds had rubbed most of the skin off where they always touched. That was another source of constant pain, yet that was one of the few sources of pain he was so accustomed to that he no longer noticed it.

The pirate forced the blacksmith to his feet; he now knew better than to expect Will to be able to support himself. Will's body was slightly limp, leaning heavily against Ricky. He didn't trust Ricky, didn't want to be forced to rely on another, yet he had no choice.

He was a prisoner, helpless and at the mercy of Blacksword. He couldn't control what he did, could no longer control his emotions. He couldn't even die, and at the moment, that's what he wanted.

'Why can't I find a release?' Will wondered. 'God, why won't you just let me die? What does keeping me alive accomplish? If this is some kind of test, I don't want to take it!'

There was no answer, at least not that he recognized. He sighed as heavily as his weary, broken body would allow. If only he could die; he could feel the blessed release from the pain. He would gladly face hell and it's demons in exchange for a stop to the agony. Hell couldn't be this bad.

Will realized he had been drug across the ship and he was now in the room so many of his beatings had occurred. To his horror, he heard a silky voice say, "Well, if it isn't my 'best friend'."

Fear filled Will; not again, not Jack. He already had more nightmares than he could deal with. This was too much for him to handle.

Hell was definitely starting to look good.

* * *

Jack grimaced; it had been two days since Chris had told him of Will. Two days in which Jack had slept less than an hour. Two days he had spent loathing his inability to find the Assassin. Days he had spent absolutely hating himself.

He glanced in frustration out the small porthole in his room. As the captain, he had one of the only single cabins on the Pearl- the other was mostly used by Ana Maria when she was aboard, or at the moment, Jackie.

Standing up from his cot, he slowly walked out of his quarters, heading to the deck. Though it wasn't his shift at the wheel, he couldn't sleep so he might as well allow whoever was on duty to go to sleep.

Paul was leaning up against the wheel, sleepy but alert. He heard the soft creak of wood and he turned quickly. His green eyes fell upon his captain and his eyes narrowed curiously. "Captain? Aren't you supposed to be asleep?"

Continuing up to the wheel, Jack answered, "I can't sleep. Why don't you take a break; I'll take the helm."

Paul pushed himself off the wheel, his blonde hair glittering slightly in the starlight. "Captain, you have not slept in two days. Go to sleep."

Jack's caramel eyes flashed in the darkness. "How can I? We only have two weeks to find Will before Blacksword kills him. Now you tell me, how am I supposed to sleep knowing that?"

"You won't help him by not sleeping. We'll tell you as soon as the Assassin comes into view, you know that."

Jack didn't answer; he merely stared darkly at Paul. While not sleeping certainly didn't help Will, it kept him from having horrid nightmares about what Black Andrew was doing to the younger man. In the one hour he had slept, the screams that had plagued his dreams had been burned permanently into his mind, along with his friend's bloody form.

"Captain?" Paul asked, voice laced with concern. "Are you okay?"

"How are we supposed to do this?" Jack asked suddenly, ignoring Paul's question. It didn't matter to him that he was the captain; that he was supposed to know what to do. He didn't like the decision before him, so he wanted someone else to tell him what to do. "How in the hell are we going to find one ship in the Caribbean in only two weeks? We don't even have a clue as to where they might be."

Paul shrugged, "Perhaps someone at one of the ports will know where they are." When he saw Jack's look he quickly defended himself. "It's possible. They'll have had to stop at a port for supplies."

Jack groaned softly. Here was yet another decision tat could decide whether or not he was able to save Will. He could take the risk that someone in one of the ports had seen the Assassin, possibly drastically cutting down on the time it would take to find it, or he could simply sail around the Caribbean and hope they ran into Black Andrew's ship. Both had a large possibility of resulting in Will's death; therefore neither were options he particularly liked.

"Don't worry, Captain," Paul said suddenly, almost startling Jack. "The Black Pearl is the fastest ship in the Caribbean. We'll find your friend, and he'll be fine. You'll be able to return both he and his son to Elizabeth.

A new thought had occurred to Paul and he looked curiously at Jack. "Have you told Jackie that his father is alive?"

Quickly shaking his head, Jack responded, "No. I'm not planning on telling him until we rescue Will. I don't want to get his hopes up, especially since there is no guarantee we'll find him alive. I can't make him cry again. Losing someone once is bad enough, to lose that person twice…" He shook his head, 'It would be absolute hell. I can't even begin to imagine it."

Paul stared closely at his captain, trying hard to see through the darkness. Obviously everything that had happened had made Jack view things in a slightly different light, because he had never heard Jack talk like that before.

"Paul, go to sleep. I need something to do, I'll take the helm."

"But… Captain," Paul began.

Jack glared darkly at him and the other man quickly got the point. Reluctantly, Paul started down below deck.

He would have to talk to Miguel; the lack of sleep would soon begin to affect the captain. Hopefully with Miguel's help he would be able to convince Jack to get some sleep. 'Although,' he reflected sadly, 'sleeping won't help ease the captain's worries. We had best find Will Turner, or I have a feeling the captain will not be able to get over it.'

Miguel had thought the same thing and had told his friend that very thing. At first, Paul had doubted how much this had actually affected Jack, but he now understood. There was a connection between Jack and Will, strong and true. No matter how unlikely it had been, the two were equals and the once bloodthirsty pirate had found a friend, and regained both his ship and his morality because of it.

Jack watched Paul leave, and then turned back to the helm. His caramel eyes searched uselessly through the darkness, hoping to see the Assassin, yet knowing how unlikely it was he would find it.

A slight smile threatened to play across his face as memories swam through him.

"_Not possible," Barbossa hissed, cold blue eyes widening as he saw Jack._

"_Not probable," he corrected, large drunken grin on his face.'_

'Not probable,' he thought to himself ruefully. 'That is the best way to describe the likelihood of me finding Will.' Another memory struck him and determination flashed through him. 'Then again, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. I've been marooned twice on the same island, and both times I got off. I've had a sword run through me, yet I still killed the man who did it. Finding Blacksword and saving Will shouldn't be difficult.'

He then shook his head. 'Fake confidence isn't going to help, Sparrow,' he chided himself 'Keep an eye out and stay alert. Don't want the Assassin to slip by without me noticing.'

With a sigh, Jack silently decided that despite what Miguel and Paul said, sleep was not something he needed to worry about. He didn't need the nightmares. 'I wonder if Will has had any nightmares about what's happening to him?'

* * *

With a terrified gasp, Will's eyes flew open as consciousness returned in a rush. As always, the pain was the first thing he was aware of. His brown eyes darted fearfully around the small cell, praying he wouldn't spot 'Jack'. When he didn't find the other, a sigh of utter relief ran through his injured body. Even the sigh caused agony to shoot through his chest; his bruised organs, broken bones, and shredded muscles and nerves feeling even the light pressure increase.

He let his eyes drift closed, but he soon realized the mistake. Once his eyes closed and all light was shut out, the one thing he saw in his mind's eye was 'Jack'. 'Jack's' cold, mocking caramel eyes filled his mind and he almost flinched before he realized that it was only an image his frightened mind had conjured up. His eyes flew open again, trying to erase the images inside him.

Unconsciously relaxing slightly, his vision blurred; as he relaxed, his mind loosened its hold on him, about to release him into the black oblivion of unconsciousness. Only his fear of his nightmares kept him from fading completely. His mind was exhausted; he hadn't slept- well, not _really _slept- in more than a week and a half. Before, though, the near-constant unconsciousness had made up for the lack of sleep.

Will started to roll his eyes, then stopped as he realized even that caused him pain.

"I bet you wish it was still me torturing you," a voice said. Normally Will would have jumped and spun to see whom it was, but both his shackles and his injuries prevented either. It didn't matter anyway, he already recognized the voice.

Blacksword stepped into his line of sight, and though fear filled him, it was nowhere near the magnitude as the fear that 'Jack' caused. Strange sadness filled him at that thought.

Jack had been one of his only friends, and the trust that had been between them had been strong. Strong enough, in fact, that despite everything that had happened to him, he didn't absolutely hate the other man. There was fear, yes- actually terror was a more accurate emotion- fear and mistrust.

Mistrust… that was the worst. Will was just young and naïve enough to not understand betrayal, and the new feeling- actually, by now, it was more than a week old emotion- was what upset him the most.

He wanted nothing more than to trust Jack again. At this point, if 'Jack' asked him for forgiveness, he would forgive the other instantly. That was how much he wanted things to go back to normal.

"Thinking about him again, are you," Blacksword asked suddenly, interrupting Will's thoughts. Will slowly turned his head and stared dully at the evil captain, letting his eyes reflect his pain. When his question garnered no further response he continued, "Not much of a surprise."

After a few seconds, Will could no longer stand it, so he asked the question that had been bothering him. "How did you manage… to get Jack to betray me? What did you do to him?"

"We merely made him choose between your life and his. Since he's a pirate, there was only one logical choice for him to make." Actually, from what Blacksword knew, nothing was logical when it came to Jack Sparrow, especially since from what he had heard, the other captain actually _would_ give his life to keep the young blacksmith from harm. He felt no remorse for lying to the other man and he still enjoyed the torment the deception instilled in Will.

Will lowered his eyes and winced as a slight rock in the ship caused another wave of pain to sweep through him. Though he had asked before, he suddenly, desperately needed to know why this was happening to him. "Why do you want me? Jack's already here, why do you still need me? And what did Jack do to make you no longer want to kill him?"

Blacksword froze; when he had come to the cell, he hadn't expected to be answering these sort of questions. 'What should I say? How can I answer without giving away the truth?' Finally a smile flickered across his face as he decided what to say.

"You are the best swordsman in the Caribbean, as previously explained. I still plan to fight you for that title, thus my reasoning for keeping you alive." He couldn't miss the look of pure dismay that passed across the other's open face.

"You want me to fight you?" Will asked, voice quavering in fear. Normally, he would have relished the opportunity to kill the man doing this to him; but now he knew it was no contest. Blacksword would completely annihilate him in the shape he was in. He couldn't even stand on his own; how did Blacksword expect him to fight?

"Of course, what did you expect? If I don't have you, how am I supposed to regain my title as the best? I can't just shoot you; that doesn't count. Why do you think I've been so interested in weakening you? I'm following the rules of engagement, yet I'm still guaranteeing myself victory. It's brilliant, isn't it?"

Will shivered in pain. Before his captivity he would have told Blacksword, in a colorful fashion, what exactly he thought of his plan. Now, though, fear caused him to hold his tongue. He already got beaten more than he could handle; he wasn't going to give them yet another excuse to visit their wrath upon him.

A mocking smile slid across Black Andrew's face. "Do you want to know about Captain Sparrow? About why I hate him?"

The young blacksmith didn't answer but the curiosity in his glazed, brown eyes told Blacksword more than any verbal response could. Will did want to know the reason why; but at the same time, the mention of Jack caused fear to skitter through him.

"When I first met Sparrow, I was the most feared pirate around. He, though, was one of the best-known pirates. I fought him because I had once been the best fighter in the Caribbean and I believed he was, at that time, the one who had stolen my title." His green eyes had grown hard and unforgiving, reflecting every angry emotion inside his cruel body. As his anger and malice grew, so did his urge to take out those feelings on the helpless man.

"Anyway, we fought, and, as you can probably guess, he won the duel. That wasn't what angered me; what did was his attitude about it." There was a flash as his emotions reflected through his eyes. "That bastard was showing off and laughing about it. He was mocking me, because I had once been the best swordsman."

Suddenly, Blacksword spun and knelt in front of Will, pulling him roughly up as far as the shackles would allow. His hands were clamped tightly on Will's shoulders, causing sharp sparks of pain to shoot through his broken right shoulder.

Gasping in agony, Will nearly passed out under the assault. 'Why is it always my shoulder?' Will wondered miserably. 'Are they just strangely fascinated by broken bones?'

"Do you want to know what he said?" Blacksword asked angrily, his face mere inches from Will's. "Do you want to know? He was bragging about how easily he had beaten me."

Moving his face even closer to Will's, he changed voice into a harsh mockery of Jack's. "I'm not even the best swordsman. A friend of mine, Will Turner, is much better than I'll ever be. It's a good thing I'm not him, or I'd have completely slaughtered you."

"Then," Blacksword continued with a hiss, "as if that wasn't bad enough, after all that humiliation, he let me live." His eyes were full of anger and loathing. "He didn't even give me the honor of death at the hand of a pirate. Do you realize how much that damaged both my reputation and my dignity?"

Will didn't answer, he _couldn't_ answer. The pain radiating from his shoulder had stolen his breath from him, making it all but impossible for him to make ant sounds, much less actually form words.

Blacksword couldn't know it, but Will actually _did_ know how it felt, although at the moment he couldn't remember. When Blacksword had forced all those drugs and that liquor down him, and earlier when he had had Will strapped to the mast and drawn those first, frustrated tears from him, he had done far more damage to Will's dignity and pride than he could realize.

"That is why I hate Captain Sparrow. And that is why I feel that, to regain my status, I must kill you." Abruptly, he let go of Will's shoulder, allowing the bone to snap back into place. He felt the shudder run through the younger man's body, a shudder no doubt caused by having the bone rip through the muscles in his shoulder, again.

Will, having finally been released, fell back to the floor, his breath coming in whimpering, ragged gasps. He shivered uncontrollably, hoping somewhere in his pain-numbed mind that he would simply die. Unfortunately, once again, there was no such luck.

Black Andrew remained beside Will, considering his options. He could leave or he could remain here and continue to torment his prisoner. His eyes drifted over the young man's bloody form, wondering about the other torture methods he could use on Will without killing him. Though Pluto had agreed to keep the young blacksmith alive, it was also clear that if they went too far with their torture, he'd die anyway.

A smile flashed across the pirate captain's face as his eyes fell upon Will's wrist, immediately above where the shackles were; his attention becoming riveted on the mark branded into his skin.

"If… if you hate J… Jack so much…" Will began weakly, startling Blacksword slightly, "why… why did you forgive him and let him come freely aboard the Assassin?"

For a moment, Blacksword didn't know how to answer without giving away the truth behind their entire deception. What possible reason would he have to have to allow Sparrow free roam of his ship?"

Finally deciding on a suitable answer, Blacksword lied, "He surrendered fully to me. Gave up his ship, everything." Inside, he knew that even if the real Jack Sparrow surrendered to him, he would still kill the other man; fortunately, though, the man in front of him didn't know that.

Will watched him miserably. He could guess how it felt to surrender completely; after all, he might as well have surrendered to Blacksword, with as much control as he had. He felt 'almost' sorry for Jack, knowing as he did, how the pirate valued his ship and his freedom.

'Why do I feel sorry for Jack?' Will wondered to himself. 'After all, the only thing he has done to me lately is torture me. So why do I still care?'

'Because,' he answered himself sadly, 'no matter what he's done to me , I still want him to be my friend. God, I'm pathetic.'

He realized with a start that Blacksword was gone. Unexplained fear filled him as he twisted slightly in his bonds, searching for the other. If Blacksword was gone, then something was about to happen.

There was a creak and his heart sped up, despite the pain that it caused. He almost fainted as his fear continued to rise uncontrollably.

Blacksword steeped back into view, now holding a sword in one hand. Will watched him, fear and curiosity mixing together, along with the relief that it wasn't Jack.

Sitting down beside Will, Black Andrew allowed the sword to rest across his lap. "Where did you get that brand?" he asked, voice full and silky.

Simply Blacksword's tone of voice made Will's head throb. "Jack… Jack gave me the… brand. I… asked him to." Talking was starting to make him nauseous, and he was also starting to drift into unconsciousness.

"Most people wish to be rid of the brand. I could remove yours."

Wearily, Will shook his head. His pirate brand wasn't something he wanted to be rid of, at least not that much.

"Oh, so you like the brand? I'll give you another if you so like." As he said this, he picked up his sword and gently wrapped his hand around the steel blade, letting his powers flare. Slowly his powers began to heat the metal blade, turning it from steel grey to a light red. Will watched with dull fascination, though it was something he had seen many times before, mostly when he made swords.

Finally, Black Andrew was satisfied with the heating of the sword and he let go. Suddenly, Will realized what the other was planning on doing, and fear shot through his heart. Then, without any further warning, Blacksword took his scalding hot sword and sliced it deep into Will's left arm.

The super-heated metal cut through him, burning skin, muscles, and nerves. Will screamed as agonizing waves swept through him. The sole upside to the blade being heated as it was, was the fact that it instantly cauterized the wound, preventing any further loss of blood.

Slowly, Blacksword continued to make the long, thin, burning cuts down first his left then his right arm. Soon Will didn't even have the strength to scream, so he merely shuddered and whimpered uncontrollably, hoping Blacksword would soon stop.

It wasn't as if this were the first time something like it had happened, yet never before at this multitude. It was only natural that, as a blacksmith, he had accidentally cut himself with the super-heated swords as he made them. Even though it had happened before, it didn't mean that he didn't feel the pain, and it was no less painful than it would have been for anyone else.

Blacksword stopped drawing the lines along Will's arms once the metal had cooled. He wrapped his fingers around the blade, once again waiting for it to heat up. He watched the dark blood on the sword as it heated and darkened to a thin black coating.

Glancing over at the shivering, younger man, Blacksword had a strange impulse to abandon the sword he held. Quickly setting it down, he then grabbed up Will's right hand. Jerking it forward was far as the shackles allowed, he then waited until his free hand started glowing. He slowly forced the other's palm down onto his glowing hot hand, causing the sensitive skin to burn.

Will, still unable to scram, managed only a soft, helpless moan. He could feel it as the heat burned skin and nerves. The pain was incredible and intense and stole his breath from him. The world started swimming in and out of focus as Will's heart sped up and his injured body became unable to keep up with the demand for oxygen. Finally, he lost the battle for consciousness and his body went limp as his eyes- once again- rolled into the back of his head.

Blacksword felt the change in the other almost instantly. It was especially obvious that something was different when the muscles that had been tense and resisting relaxed. He quickly pulled the younger man's hand from his own. With a disgusted snort, he pushed Will off him, forcing the limp blacksmith's body away. The young man's body fell heavily to the floor.

Slowly standing, Black Andrew gathered up his sword. He started away and as he left, he thought unhappily to himself, 'After he dies, someone's going to have to clean up all the blood.' It wasn't a chore he was looking forward to. 'This boy is almost more trouble than he is worth. A soon as I get Sparrow, he's dead, and I'm rid of him forever.'

TBC

Oh, poor Will. More boo-boos. #shrugs# Oh well.

Anyways, I'll see you cats later. Peace. I'm out.


	10. Running Out of Time

GROAN. #swats halfheartedly as random person pokes at the lifeless body on the ground# Band camp… God, please just let me die… Wait, what do you mean I'm late updating! ACK!

OMG, I'm so sorry everyone!

Okay, I have officially decided to replace all torture in my story with band camp. Granted, none of them will live as long, but if I have to suffer so will they.

Wow, I can not believe I have 75 reviews! Talk about a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Now, down to business. As far as the bidding goes, Chris currently belongs to Silverpaw for 120 cookies, Grant goes to Marie Crosby for 10 million, and BlackSword also goes to Marie Crosby for 10 gazillion cookies. Roxy is also going to Daphnebandweenie for 500 cookies. Wow, I'm going to be fat. Anyway, the bettings not over until the stories over. I like cookies. #grin#

**Smithy – **I hope you're not really upset about all the torture. And I shall make no comment on Elizabeth, for that might possibly spoil the story. #evil smirk#

**Trinilee Greenleaf** – Wow, this is a major hugfest, isn't it? Oh well. #Hugs back# We're a bunch of hugging fools here. Hehe, Adam is so cute. Shirtless is good. Glad you like this whole thing and sorry this is late. Enjoy.

**Sanquinedarkness666 – **Dude, we were so stylish. With the HELL hat and the POWER RANGERS SPD shirt. We were SO hot. HEHE. And sensing he had suppressed chewing gum issues. Anyway, see you at school Tuesday. Wee, the fun.

**Daphnebandweenie **– No, you can't have my shirt! And I'm sorry, but that band-aid isn't quite big enough for Will. I still want my binder back. I like my binder. Binders are good. Especially when they hold 420 pages of my life's greatest achievement.

**Williz - **#HUG!# Yes, ouchied is the nice way of saying it. Anyway, hope you like this chapter. Leave your reviews, I love hearing from you.

**Silverpaw – **Glad the torture is believable. And different is good, so thank you. Here you go on the next chapter.

**Marie Crosby** – I don't hate him. It goes a little more like this. I love watching the interactions between close friends and seeing their reactions to each other's pain. I love all the emotions. That's why I like torture. I like the emotions it draws from those not undergoing the torture. And I'm sorry, but the suspense is going to last a little longer. Hope you like this chapter.

**Kristina – **Okay, okay, here's the next chapter. But no guarantees about Will though.

**MagRowan – **Strange is good. Glad you're sticking around to read. And nope, no guarantees about Will's safety. Still don't know who Dawg or Frank Langella is, but I'll take you word for it about BlackSword.

**WillTurnerLuv – **Can't promise anything about Will. You'll have to read to find out what happens.

**LivebythegunDiebythegun – **Here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long.

**Mooboo – **Once again, I can't promise he'll live, but here's a new chapter, so read on.

**Dancin – **I'm so sorry it took me so long to update, but here's the next chapter.

I think that covers all my reviewers. If I missed anyone, I'm sorry.

Anyways, I think this is enough jabber-jabber before the story. On to the chapter.

**---------------------**

**BlackSword**

**---------------------**

**Chapter 10**

Four Days Later

"Captain Sparrow, there is a ship off the starboard bow. It looks…" the man acting as a lookout hesitated, trying to identify the make of the ship.

Instantly, Jack's attention was caught, and he spun to face the lookout. "Is it the Assassin?" There was no way for him to keep the hope out of his voice.

"No, it appears to… be of Asian make."

Disappointment flooded through him and he sighed. "Avoid it," he ordered. "We don't have time to bother with another ship."

"But Captain," Miguel protested, "They're hailing us. Shouldn't we go see if they are okay?"

Jack groaned. He really didn't feel like doing anything but find the Assassin. Yet he knew he should check on the other ship. Finally, he relented and the Pearl sailed silently up to the oriental ship.

One of the crewmembers was waving frantically, obviously trying to catch their attention. Once he realized he had been noticed, the Asian began to jabber away in his own language. Jack stood listening closely, using what little he knew of oriental languages in an attempt to understand.

Finally, he said, in halting Japanese, "Do you… know English? Don't really… know Japanese."

Fortunately, the other understood and he nodded while smiling brightly. Motioning for them to stay, he then ran off.

A few minutes later the man returned, followed by another, presumably his captain. The other captain glanced up and studied Jack carefully. Finally, he said in heavily accented, yet understandable English, "Are you here to help us?"

Jack nodded, "Yes, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, and this is my ship, the Black Pearl. What's the problem?"

The Captain motioned Jack Sparrow onto the ship, the Hornet Dragon. The Japanese man that had first seen them tossed Jack a rope. Swinging onto the ship, Jack then stood, waiting to help lower the gangplank, and then helping the rest onto the ship.

"Follow me," the captain said, turning and leading some into the ship.

"You two," Jack said, pointing to two of his crewmembers, "stay aboard the Pearl."

The two men nodded, eager to follow their captain's commands. The rest quickly followed Jack down into the Japanese ship.

"I am Captain Yin Sao and this is my ship, the Hornet Dragon," the captain said as he led them through the ship. "This is my first mate, Bin Hyun." He indicated the man that had flagged them down.

Yin Sao stopped abruptly and turned, raising a pistol level with Jack's head. "Drop your weapons, Captain, if you please." He then scanned the rest of Jack's crew, "You as well."

"How do you expect to pull this off?" Miguel asked from behind Jack. "There's one of you and more than twenty of us."

"Not so," a second voice said, this one also heavily accented. It was Bin Hyun. Glancing quickly around, Jack slowly realized it had been a trap. They were surrounded, completely.

"Now, as I said before, drop your weapons." Yin Sao ordered, cocking the pistol threateningly.

Slowly, Jack and his crew obeyed, placing their swords and guns on the floor. Yin Sao barked something in hurried Japanese and Bin Hyun quickly began collecting the weapons.

"Sparrow… you two, follow me," Yin Sao commanded, motioning to Jack, Miguel, and Paul. "Hyun, put the rest into the cells. I only need these three."

Motioning to the side, Yin Sao let the three pass him. Jack trudged angrily down the hall, upset that he had fallen for the trap.

"You said you needed help," Miguel said indignantly, voice reflecting his feelings about the betrayal.

"That we do," Yin Sao said, still leading them through the ship.

Paul's green eyes darkened, "If you need help, this isn't the way to ask for it."

Yin spun, "No one in their right mind would willingly help us." His dark, slanted eyes glinted. "That is why it was necessary for us to capture you."

Caramel eyes took a near-begging tone. "Please," Jack said, voice surprisingly soft, "you must let us go. Another group of pirates has taken my best friend captive and if we don't find him in less than a week-and-a-half, they are going to kill him. You have to let us go."

Suddenly, the Japanese man motioned for Miguel and Paul to enter the cell he had stopped at. "I am sorry about your friend, truly I am. I know how it feels to lose someone close to you. But that is why I need your help."

He locked the door after Miguel and Paul had reluctantly entered the cell. He waved his gun towards a chair, indicating he wanted Jack to sit. "My brother was killed not long ago; I was right there. He died in my arms. I could feel it as his heart slowly stopped; I felt it as his blood ran over me."

"What happened to him?" Jack couldn't help but ask. He also couldn't help the memories that came, unbidden and unwanted. Memories of holding Will's limp body aboard the Assassin and how it had felt to have his blood staining his hands.

"He had been stabbed by a poisoned blade. His death was slow and agonizing. And now I'm trying to replicate the poison used on him so I can kill his murderer with it."

"What do you need me for?" Jack demanded, beginning to get a sinking feeling that he would never get the chance to save Will.

The smile that flashed across Yin's face made slight fear creep up the pirate's spine. "Well, we need someone to test the poison on." As he said this he pulled out a jar that had been inside a beautiful, ornate chest. The jar had a thick white liquid inside.

Miguel and Paul slammed themselves angrily against the cell bars. "If you use that poison on the captain, we'll kill you," Paul warned, raising his voice for the first time that Jack could recall.

Jack almost smiled. 'If we all get out of this alive, I'll have to ask Miguel and Paul to become members of my crew full time.'

"How? It seems to me that you are in that cell, while I am not." Yin Sao slowly unscrewed the lid, "Besides, I don't intend to kill him, only check his reaction to the poison. I'm not putting it in his blood stream, merely on his skin."

"Oh, that's so much better," Jack said, voice laced heavily with sarcasm. His dark eyes flickered grimly.

"You're right," Yin said, completely missing the sarcasm. "You won't die this way." He paused then added, almost as an afterthought, "Yet away."

Yin Sao slowly dipped the knife into the jar; covering the blade in the thick, white substance. Turning back towards the pirate captain, Yin slowly approached Jack, dripping knife in one hand and gun in the other.

"Remove your shirt," Yin Sao ordered, leveling the gun with Jack's head. He would take no chances.

Slowly, Jack obeyed, unbuttoning the thick, white shirt and pulling it off his muscular, scarred shoulders. He sat there, watching Yin Sao and wondering if he would ever get the opportunity to save Will.

He couldn't help but wonder what exactly was in the jar. He had never seen anything like it. Impatiently, he flexed the muscles in his arms, feeling the way his scars pulled the skin tighter than normal across them.

Yin stopped in front of Jack, black eyes full of eagerness and anticipation. "Obviously, you're wondering what this is, am I correct?" When his question earned him a nod, he continued, "It is the venom of a giant hornet from my country. Highly dangerous and quite painful. The chemicals in it are capable of inducing severe pain and melting skin. If enough poison enters the bloodstream it's fatal. Even better, there is currently no cure for it."

Gnawing fear coursed through Jack's veins, though it was more a fear of what would happen to Will if he died than a fear for himself. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"More than you can know. I've been waiting for the opportunity to test this for more than two years."

Yin Sao turned the blade so that the flat was parallel with Jack's chest. Slowly, he pressed the knife forward until it rested against the pirate's chest.

The instant the poisoned blade came in contact with his chest, Jack became painfully aware of what Yin Sao had meant. Pain flashed through his awareness and he could only half control the scream that escaped him. The blade was slowly drug along his chest, drawing a burning line along it.

He could feel it as his skin began to slowly melt along where the knife had passed. It wasn't the same as when he had been cursed and everything had melted away from his bones; no, the feeling was far from that. It was more of a burning feeling and his muscles spasmed slightly in anguish.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he began to breathe in shallow gasps in an attempt to stifle some of the pain. Every time his lungs expanded, the skin across his chest and ribs tightened, placing even more pressure on the half melted skin. He groaned softly, pain beginning to steal his whole world.

Laughing softly, Yin Sao placed the knife on the table. "I see the potency of the giant wasp's venom has not diminished over time." He let a slight smile flicker across his face. "Good," the smile disappeared, "I'm sorry it had to be you."

Jack's breath caught in his throat and finally the pain caused him to sway in the chair. Consciousness fled him and he fell forward, crashing to the ground.

Miguel and Paul started in surprise and concern as he hit the ground, unmoving. Anger flashed through their eyes simultaneously, all of it directed towards Yin Sao.

Bending down, Yin Sao picked up Jack's unconscious body and, unlocking the cell, pressed the pirate into it with the two members of his crew. Miguel and Paul rushed to his side, checking to see if he was alright.

"Don't worry, your captain will be fine. It is only fatal if the poison enters the bloodstream," Yin informed them reassuringly. "I don't intend to kill him or you." He locked the cell again and left, heading back to the deck.

"Damn it," Miguel said darkly once the Japanese man had left. "This is not good."

Paul nodded in agreement. "If we don't escape, the Captain won't be able to save his friend," he pointed out softly.

Dark eyes flickered in curiosity. That hadn't been what he had meant by the comment, yet Paul had made a valid point.

Miguel sighed, "The Captain won't be pleased." The Spaniard glanced down at the unresponsive man before him.

"Will he be okay?" Paul asked, voice soft with concern.

Shrugging uneasily, Miguel replied, "I don't know. I've never heard of a giant hornet." He shrugged again. "I just don't know."

* * *

One Week Later

Blacksword grunted angrily, watching as Grant and Ricky beat the hell out of the prisoner. 'Why isn't Sparrow here yet?' he wondered furiously. That was the source of his anger towards Will Turner. Unfortunately he couldn't just ask the young man; that would destroy everything.

Grant and Ricky had more freedom with Will than they had the week before. Blacksword, finally realizing that the young man wouldn't survive the week, had given him a slight respite from the beatings. The blacksmith had actually regained the strength to stand; yet that had nothing to do with his emotional state. While his health had improved, his emotional stability had decreased sharply. If he had been given the opportunity to handle a weapon he would have, without hesitation, ended his own existence.

Another broken scream escaped his prisoner. Andrew began to pace back and forth. 'What if Sparrow doesn't come? What will I do? Should I kill Turner?'

Slowly, though, the conversation between tormenters and prisoner slipped into his awareness. "Come on, Will," Grant taunted mercilessly, still mocking Jack's voice. "You scream like a child caught in a bloody nightmare. Suck it up, boy."

Tears rolled down Will's face, agony coursing through him. His shoulder burned unforgivingly; after all it had been broken for two weeks without being given a chance to heal or even being set back into place. "Jack…" he moaned, barely understandable. "Stop… go… rot in… hell."

Black Andrew almost laughed, and suddenly he made up his mind. 'If Sparrow doesn't get here, I'll just kill the boy. Even I'm not cruel enough to keep him alive so Sparrow can go through the hell of having his friend turned against him like this.'

Indeed, over the last week, Grant had turned Will's loyalty to Jack upside-down. They had seen momentary flashes of anger and dislike simmer through his eyes. As much as he wanted Jack Sparrow to feel how it felt to be betrayed by his best friend, he was not going to force that.

Blood had long ago soaked through the wood and now it was no longer able to seep into it. A large puddle had formed under the blacksmith's body. Had this beating occurred the week prior, he never would have survived.

Ricky paused, watching Will and considering his options. He had his knife buried into the young man's lower arm, parallel with the skin in a failed attempt to separate the two. Suddenly, he jerked it out, causing a strangled cry to escape the man in front of him.

A grim smile flickered across Grant's face as he guessed what Ricky was about to do. "Will, did you ever learn about native islanders as a kid?" he asked.

"No… bastard," Will answered softly, voice belying his weakness.

"Too bad," Grant responded. "Well, what they do is skin people. Wonder how that feels?"

Dark brown orbs became huge muddy pools. "Oh, God… Jack, please… don't do this to me." Will's body began to tremble uncontrollably, fear radiating from every fiber of his being.

Grant smirked and placed the edge of his blade on Will's good arm, slowly forcing the edge down into the skin. Suddenly, he flipped the blade on its side and quickly ran it down the length of his arm.

Will's eyes popped open even wider and he began screaming again. His tears left thin trails through the blood on his face.

"Stop," Blacksword ordered suddenly. Grant and Ricky instantly ceased their torture, pulling the blade from his shuddering body. "I need him to be able to use at least the one arm so we can duel," he explained.

Grant's eyes darkened but he nodded. Ricky, though, let his displeasure show and he kicked Will hard in his injured ribs. Pain flashed through his awareness and he passed out, his body still too weak to handle that much pain.

"That wasn't very nice, Ricky," Black Andrew said, but there was a small smile on his lips. "Now, Ricky, since you knocked him out, you can take him back to his cell."

Ricky complied, unwillingly. He carried the unmoving body out of the small room, muttering to himself.

Grant glanced over at his captain. "What if Sparrow doesn't get here?" he asked quietly.

"We keep our promise."

* * *

"Sparrow, you're quite fortunate, did you know that?" Yin Sao said as he entered the room. 

Jack stared miserably at him. His time was almost out and he knew it. If he didn't find Will by tomorrow, Blacksword would kill him and he would fail in his self appointed duty to protect the other.

"Fortunate?" Jack repeated incredulously. "How the hell am I fortunate? My best friend is about to be killed if I don't save him before tomorrow night. This is going to be my fault."

A slight shrug told him Yin Sao didn't know what to say to that. "I was going to say that at least you're not a prisoner aboard one ship we passed. Poor bastard didn't have a chance. He was strapped to a mast and getting beaten. He passed them not even seven hours ago."

Jack's head snapped up. "What?" he demanded, remembering what Chris had told him about how Blacksword had tortured Will. "Do you know what the ship was called?" Despite the fact that the other had continually tested the giant hornet's venom on him, Jack found it hard to hate him.

"I believe it was the… the Assassin?" Yin Sao said with a shrug. "I don't really remember."

"The… the Assassin?" Jack asked, voice barely containing his excitement. "Yin Sao, if you go after that ship, I swear I will come back and let you do what you want to me. My best friend is the prisoner you saw on board that ship."

Yin's eyes widened slightly, and he seemed to consider it. "Bin!" he called suddenly. "Bin, come down here!"

The young man came running down the hall. "Yes, Captain?"

"Do you remember the ship we passed? The Assassin, I believe?" When Bin nodded, Sao continued, "Follow it. Captain Sparrow requested that we chase it."

Nodding, Bin rushed back out, intent on giving the orders to the rest of the crew.

A grateful smile slid across Jack's face. "Thank you," he said softly.

Yin Sao nodded, "I will release you long enough for you to rescue your friend." He couldn't help it; he knew how it felt to lose someone he cared about so that was the one pain he couldn't bare to force upon someone else. "Are you well enough to fight and free him?"

Jack nodded, "I'm fine. It's him I'm worried about. When you saw him, was he okay? Was he alive? Was he conscious?"

"He was alive, though I don't know about the answers to the other questions. You would have to ask Bin, he was on duty then."

Then, to Jack's surprise, Yin Sao unlocked his cell, letting him out. Jack eyed him. "Why are you letting me out?"

"You need to regain your strength. I do not wish for you to go aboard that ship merely to be killed. Besides, you gave your word to come back if we helped you rescue your friend."

"Actually the deal was for you to chase down the Assassin and let me rescue him, but I would greatly appreciate any help you offer," Jack said. "It would be a lot easier to get him off the ship if the crew were distracted."

"Done," Yin Sao agreed.

"One more question. There was a boy aboard my ship, only about eight years old-"

"Jackie is fine. In fact, Miguel and Paul are with him," Yin Sao interrupted.

"I had been wondering where you had taken them."

Black eyes met his, "Why don't you go see them? We'll call you as soon as we catch up to the Assassin."

Jack nodded. "Okay. I think I will."

* * *

Blacksword stared angrily out over the sea. "Sparrow has less than five hours until I kill Will Turner. He'd best hurry." 

The only ship he had seen within the last two days had been a Japanese ship. The ship had passed by and aside from earning several dark looks while torturing their prisoner, they had not been bothered.

Ricky slid up beside him. "Captain, there is a ship following us. It's that Japanese ship again."

Green eyes turned towards him. "Doesn't matter, if it's not the Black Pearl then I don't care."

Slowly Ricky nodded. "Very well… Can I kill him now?"

"No! Captain Sparrow still has five hours left."

"There is no way he can get here by then if we can't even see him by now."

"The Black Pearl is the fastest ship in the Caribbean. Don't doubt his ability to be here."

Ricky turned and stared out over the sea. "He should be here by now."

"Perhaps young Jack Turner gave us incorrect information; perhaps Sparrow doesn't care about Will."

Ricky shrugged, "Perhaps."

TBC

Sorry about the short chapter, but trust me, you people will be happy I broke it up here rather than a little later.


	11. Not the Best of Reunions

Hey, I'm still alive… Look everyone! I survived the first couple of days of school! One comment on that: Pre-Calculus is now the bane of my existence.

#falls over in shock# 87 reviews! I got more than 10 reviews on one chapter! ACK! Yes, I know I'm a total review whore.

**Smithy – **Well, here's the thing: Yin Sao lost his brother so he can understand how Jack feels. Basically, that's the one thing he can't bring himself to force upon other people. It's just how he works. Well, hope you like this chapter and the ones coming up.

**Sanquinedarkness666 – **Purple giraffe. #giggle# And I like the purple hair. Glad you agree with where I broke it off. And yes, now we'll have to give Jack hugs too. Oh well, we don't mind, do we?

**Marie Crosby – **Yes, I do. I think the proper type of torture to use on a person depends on the personality of the victim. Jack just strikes me as the type who'd be more effected by the mental half of the torture spectrum more than the physical half. Here's the next chapter. Have fun with it!

**MagRowan** – I know it seems kind of random, but I do have my reasoning. You'll see soon. And by the way, that's cool. That thing about Japanese names, I mean. Yeah, I'm a total geek, but I think that was really neat. Thanks for the info, next time, I won't make that mistake. (And sorry it was obvious I know nothing about Japanese phonetics. I just knew they were Asian sounding names.) And here's that encounter you've been waiting for. Haha! The fun!

**Dancin' – **Calm down. Calm down, and here's the next chapter.

**Daphnebandweenie – **Thanks for giving me my folder back! I love you bunches! And I don't know about my Power Rangers shirt…

**Mi Ana I Numen- Numen – **Wow, I'm super glad you like my writing. And honestly, I hope there's a little bit more on Jack and Will's friendship in PotC2. Hope you get the e-mail I'm sending, and remember, you have been sworn to silence. SHHHH! Anyway, hope you like this chapter.

**Silverpaw – **50 more cookies? Wow, I'm going to be fat. Hmmm, you know what, now I'm hungry. Hope this was soon enough for you. Enjoy.

**SpufFan **– You are totally forgiven. And yes, if you need ideas, come to me. I can come up with some major doozies. Thanks for the awesome compliment! And I agree with you. It's my personal opinion, as well as yours obviously, that Jack will always care about Will. Thus is the nature of friendship. Isn't it sweet? Well, hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

**Williz **– I like the… delicate way you put that. Haha! And glad you liked the name. Here's the next chapter. Read, and tell me what you thought. Please? #puppy dog pout# And you were waiting for little Jackie to have his moment? Well, he'll have one of 'em here.

Okay, one more thing before the actual chapter. This one might be a bit… emotional. I made my cousins cry, so I thought I just might need to put a warning on this one. You've been warned. Things should be okay though, Well, with you guys, at least. Not sayin' anything about the characters.

**---------------------**

**BlackSword**

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**Chapter 11**

"Captain Sparrow, the Assassin is in view," Yin Sao called.

Jack looked up quickly, "It is? Thank the Lord." He glanced back at Miguel and Paul, letting a smile flash across his face. There was no mistaking the joy and excitement in his eyes for anything else.

He then turned back, eyes seeking out Jackie. The boy stood, blinking up at him. "Why are we after the Assassin, Captain Sparrow? I thought you were going to drop me off with my mom before you went after Blacksword."

"Slight change of plans. I, uh… had some unfinished business I needed to deal with, now." He then turned serious, more so than he'd ever been before. "Jackie, I want you to lock yourself in this room, do you hear me? There is a high likelihood of this ship getting boarded by Blacksword's crew, so I need you to stay here where you'll be safe. Miguel, Paul," he said, turning back towards them, "you two need to keep an eye on him, savvy?"

They nodded, but Jackie protested, "But, Captain, where will you be?"

Jack's eyes hardened visibly, "I'll be taking care of Blacksword." With that, he turned and left the room, heading up towards the deck.

* * *

"Nervous?" Yin Sao asked, joining him on the deck.

Jack's eyes didn't leave the ship that was slowly growing larger on the horizon, but he nodded all the same. "Afraid is more like it. Afraid that despite everything, I'll still have failed. That he'll still die."

Shrugging, Yin answered, "You cannot control death, no one can. At least no mortal. If he dies it will not be your fault. You are doing everything in your power; do not fault yourself."

Though he knew the other spoke the truth, it didn't mean Jack wanted to accept it. He merely stared at the Assassin, hoping he wasn't already too late.

"Best get ready, Captain. The Assassin will soon be in range."

"In range?" Jack asked in alarm. "In range for what?"

"The cannons, of course," the Japanese man answered nonchalantly.

Jack, though, looked shocked, and then fear filled his eyes. "No cannons," he ordered, "Will is aboard that ship. You are not going to blow it apart with him still on it."

"How are my crew supposed to provide a distraction if we can't use the cannons?"

"Do what you did with us. Fool them, don't start the fight until you believe I've had enough time to find him."

Yin slowly nodded, "Okay, we'll try." Eyeing the ship, he said, "Get out of sight, we approach being within seeing range."

Jack quickly did as suggested, hiding in the shadows of the Hornet Dragon. He listened quietly to the conversation that soon began.

"What do you want?"

Jack's jaw tightened as he realized it was Blacksword's voice he heard. It took much of his control not to burst out and throttle the other pirate captain.

Slowly, he slipped away on board the Assassin, being exceedingly careful not to be seen. Once on board, it was easy to disappear; all of Blacksword's crew were paying full attention to Yin Sao and his crew.

Carefully picking his way to the brig, he could barely contain the anxiety that was eating him up inside.

Quickly entering the brig, he froze when he realized no one was in the cells. Out of the ten odd prisoners that had been there the last time, not a one of them was here now.

Swallowing hard, he forced his body to once again respond to his commands. He hadn't exactly expected Will to be in these cells but still… it scared him, not seeing anyone in the room. Remembering the isolated cell Blacksword had kept Jackie in, he approached it slowly. In there, he would find what he both wanted most and feared most.

His eyes fell upon Will's unmoving form. Despite the bloody appearance of his friend, he couldn't stop the small thrill of joy that shot through him. He could see the faint rise and fall of the other's chest; Will was alive! Alive and breathing.

Had there not been bars separating them, he would have run over and hugged the other. As it was, the bars only slowed him or as long as it took to pick the lock, which was only a few seconds.

Jack was instantly next to Will and it took a great deal of his control to keep himself from crying with relief and joy.

The joy quickly turned to concern as he looked over Will. The younger man's face was bruised and bloody and both his lips were busted. Not only that, but there was a deep cut along his left cheek and a second over his right eye.

Anger flowed inside Jack as he continued to check over his friend. He soon noticed that Will's face was the least of his worries.

Will's chest was drenched in blood but his shirt covered his actual wounds, preventing Jack from seeing the full extent of his injuries. There was a small pool of blood under him, as if verifying that his wounds weren't all old and healed but many were new and still bleeding freely.

Slowly and gently, Jack took hold of Will and pulled him towards him. To his surprise, something stopped him, and Will jerked to a stop. Jack winced sympathetically and searched for whatever it had been that stopped him. His caramel eyes fell upon the shackles around Will's wrists and he stopped.

His eyes narrowed angrily. Blacksword not only had kept Will in a cell like a prisoner, but he kept him shackled to the floor like an animal.

Gently placing his hands on Will's shoulders- being exceedingly careful of the other's injuries- Jack gently shook Will. "Will," he said quietly, "Will, wake up." There was no response. Slight fear gripped his heart, "Will? Come on, Will. Wake up."

Once again, there was no answer. His hands tightened uncontrollably. "Will-"

Suddenly Will's dark brown eyes snapped open, an unchecked moan escaping him. As soon as his eyes focused on Jack, though, he screamed in sheer terror.

Jack flinched away from Will, eyes widening. As soon as his shock wore off, his hands snapped forward, clamping down on Will's mouth. "Will, be quiet," he hissed. "Come on, it's me. What's wrong?"

Slowly, Will's screaming subsided but the look of fear still remained in his large, dark brown eyes. "Wh… what do… you want, you bloody… bastard?"

Blinking, Jack reeled back in surprise, not comprehending his friend's emotions. "What?" he asked in shock. "Will… it's me," he repeated, "Jack. Remember?"

"Go to hell," Will responded bitterly. He began to tremble softly, his fear and agony rising. He knew Jack would probably kill him for saying that, but he didn't care. At least it would end his suffering.

Startled, Jack tried to shake the emotional numbness that threatened to consume him. "Will, what…? I don't under…-" Abruptly, his mind slid backwards, to what Chris had told him.

"_Your best friend now thinks_ you_ were the one torturing him."_

"Oh, God," he whispered. "Will… it wasn't me, I swear. I would never do that to you. It wasn't me… brother." The last word he didn't mean to add, it merely slipped out, and not only that, but it also felt right. Misery wound around Jack's heart. If Will wouldn't trust him…

"Sure."

The pain, heartache, and sarcasm in Will's voice nearly broke Jack's heart. There was no way for him to know what his friend had been through. He closed his eyes sadly. What could he possibly do to convince Will of the truth when it had been kept from him for so long?

"Will, it wasn't me. They… did it to you, not me." Pain shot through him at the thought of the cruel mistreatment that had befallen his friend. "What can I do to convince you of this?" his caramel eyes were soft and pleading for Will to believe him.

Will continued to shiver uncontrollably, almost ignoring his question. "Please, don't hurt me," the young blacksmith whispered.

Bowing his head, Jack almost began to cry; Will's plea was heartbreaking. His hands tightened around his friend and he rested his head on the other's chest lightly. "I won't hurt you," he whispered back. "I couldn't. You're more than my best friend, you're also the only family I have."

Staring in confusion, Will watched Jack as best he could. He could feel the other's hitched breathing and knew that, for whatever reason, Jack was on the verge of tears. He couldn't understand what was happening. It was almost as if the old Jack was back, and God, did he ever want to believe that...

"You have to believe me," the pirate said again.

Before Jack could say anything else, he was cut off as the young man in front of him burst into tears and held onto him for dear life. Will's left arm was holding Jack against him as he quietly sobbed against the captain. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Will repeated quickly and miserably.

Jack was caught off guard by Will's sudden shift in attitudes. Once he realized what had happened though, he hugged the other fiercely and reassuringly.

"What are you apologizing for?" Jack asked, forcing back his own tears. "You didn't do anything to me." He didn't care that the blood that covered Will was getting all over him, nor was he aware of it. He was only aware of the harsh, racking sobs escaping his friend.

"S… sorry I… didn't believe… you," Will said, continuing to cry. His grip on Jack hadn't loosened and his tears continued to roll down his face onto Jack.

Swallowing hard, Jack pulled Will as close as the shackles would allow. "I'm the one that should apologize," he said quietly, face only inches from Will's. "I tried to be here sooner, I swear I did. I never would have left you alone for so long had I known. I promise…" he trailed off, noticing for the first time the way Will only moved his left arm and kept his right perfectly still. "Will, are you okay?"

He realized a few seconds too late the stupidity of his question. Of course Will was not all right. He didn't wait for his friend's answer; his hands were already running along Will's arm in an attempt to discover what was wrong. At first he was confused; he couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary, but a few seconds later his fingers found the break in the other's shoulder.

He winced in sympathy; the bone hadn't even been set and had obviously been broken for several weeks. Even the gentle touch of his hand was enough to send hot spokes of agony through Will, and he whimpered softly.

Jack didn't miss the quiet sounds of pain that escaped his friend. "Sorry," he quickly apologized, moving his hands, "Sorry."

Will had squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to control his pain but he couldn't. He felt the light brush of a hand across his neck and he reopened them to see Jack gently fingering the knife wound along the bottom of his throat.

"He actually did cut you there then," Jack said, eyes finally meeting Will's. The dark brown eyes were glazed and full of pain, but all things considering, were actually fairly clear.

Slowly nodding in answer to Jack's question, Will reached over with his left hand and gently took hold of Jack's. "Thank you. For coming after me." He began to fade away, eyes rolling into the back of his head, but Jack stopped him.

"Will, stay awake, okay? The last thing I need after all this is for you to die on me now." Slowly, Will's eyes regained focus and Jack sighed in soft relief. "Will, do you think you can stand? We need to get out of here."

Will blinked then said, "If it'll get me out of here, I'll follow you anywhere."

Laughing softly, Jack hugged Will one final time, then gently released the young blacksmith. "Okay then. Let's get you out of these shackles," he said, raising his eyebrows. He was unsure of Will's injuries and he didn't want to further hurt him, so he wanted to know what his friend through of this.

Nodding as much as his injured body would allow, Will finally began to relax. Most of his tension drained away as he finally started to fully accept the fact that Jack was there to help him.

Reaching into his belt, Jack pulled out the knife he had used to pick the lock on the cell door. He started in surprise when upon seeing the knife, Will screamed.

Will couldn't help it; though he had now accepted that Jack had not been the one behind his beating, there was no escaping his hellish memories. Seeing Jack, bending over him, knife in hand caused his mind to slide backwards into the darkness of his nightmares.

Jack had frozen, trying to figure out what had triggered his friend's reaction. Suddenly, he realized the knife in his had had to have done it. He flipped the blade around so that the edge was facing towards him, but he didn't drop it.

"Will! Will, calm down. It's okay," Jack said, comfortingly. "Come on, calm down." His hand once again clamped down on his friend's mouth, but he hated himself for it. His friend had been through hell, so he loathed his inability to avoid traumatizing his friend further.

Once again, after a few minutes, Will's screams died down. Jack was incredibly glad when it was over. "Will, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. All I'm going to do is get the shackles off, okay?"

The fear had slowly drained out of his friend's eyes, yet he could still feel the gasping breaths Will was struggling for. "Okay," Will answered softly, trying to force his now tense body to relax.

Slowly, Jack spun the knife around and attacked the locks holding Will. A few seconds later, the first shackle fell away. Jack stopped for a second and stared at Will's wrist. It was raw and bloody; the inside of the shackles stained permanently dark with his blood.

Grinding his teeth together angrily, Jack then turned his attention to the last chain. Will was soon free and he was extraordinarily glad to be so. With his left hand, he gently rubbed his right wrist, although that was the least of his problems.

"Thanks, Jack," Will said softly. "You have no idea how-"

He was abruptly cut off as Jack motioned for him to be silent. Curiously watching his friend, Will cocked his head, wondering what had alerted Jack.

Jack noticed the confused look on his friend's face so he hissed an explanation, "I'm pretty sure I heard something."

Will's eyes widened fearfully. If there was anything worse than Blacksword finding him free, it would be finding him free with Jack Sparrow. He began to shiver uncontrollably, terror consuming him.

Noticing his friend's distress, Jack gently placed his hand on his friend's chest. "It's okay," he said softly, voice low and comforting. "Don't worry, there is no way he's going to hurt you anymore. It's over." He could feel his friend's rapid heartbeat and knew his friend needed to calm down.

Silence filled the room and Jack began to wonder if he'd been hearing things. Suddenly, the loud explosion from a cannon shattered the quiet. Jack jumped; whatever he had been expecting, it had not been that. 'Yin must have had to quit his charade,' he though to himself.

He turned his attention back to Will. The younger man's face was white with fear. Dark brown eyes met his caramel ones. "Jack, we have to get out of here." His voice slowly rose in panic.

Jack quickly nodded his agreement. "Come on, before this whole ship blows up." Rising quickly to his feet, he then bent to help Will up. It was difficult, given the broken shoulder, but he had to. Once on his feet, Will wavered uncontrollably and it was only because of Jack's support that he didn't go crashing once again to the floor.

Grunting softly as he supported most of his friend's weight, he thought to ask, "Will, do you think you can walk?"

Will nodded slowly, although he wasn't really sure. Jack could see the uncertainty in the young blacksmith's gaze. To his surprise, Will pulled away from him, determined to stand on his own. Jack allowed the other the freedom to try, but he stayed close in case it proved impossible. Will wavered but managed to stay on his feet.

Another cannon explosion rocked the ship, sending Will crashing into Jack. Jack caught hold of his friend and somehow managed to keep them both upright. Slowly, he helped the younger man regain his balance.

A look of pure gratefulness cross Will's face, causing Jack to feel strange. "Let's get out of here; some friends of mine are about to blow up this ship, or so it seems."

Nodding, Will followed Jack out of the brig, glancing nervously around. Jack understood his friend's fear; he didn't exactly want to meet up with Blacksword either.

Unfortunately, though, as if fate decided to spite the two men, about that time Black Andrew came around the corner, trailed closely by Ricky. They stopped dead, staring in shock at their freed prisoner and the captain they had been hoping to draw there.

"Will," Jack whispered softly, "run."

Without hesitation, Will obeyed his friend's command, with a strength spurred on by adrenaline alone. Jack was right behind; he was not stupid enough o attempt to fight Blacksword at the moment.

A gunshot echoed through the hall, almost overridden by the now near-constant cannon explosions. The bullet smashed into the wood immediately beside Jack, causing him to jump. He also knew the sole reason Will didn't turn to make sure he was okay was because of the sounds of the pirates slightly erratic footfalls.

Jack heard Blacksword and his crewman still following them. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," Jack hissed to himself. He and Will were in way too much trouble for them to be able to deal with.

"Damn it, Sparrow. You're dead when I get my hands on you; so is Turner."

Ignoring Blacksword's threats, Jack continued after Will. Finally, they gained the deck but Jack instantly saw their problem. There was nowhere for them to go to escape from Black Andrew.

Will must have reached the same conclusion, either that or his strength gave out, because he stopped, doubling over and panting heavily.

Jack stopped as well, turning to face the angry pirate captain. Slowly, Jack edged between Black Andrew and Will; he had told Will that he would not allow Blacksword to hurt him further, and he intended to keep his word.

Glaring angrily, Blacksword said, "Well, I must admit, I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it here in time, Sparrow." He had to yell to he heard over the cannon fire.

Looking around for someway out, Jack realized that no one else was on board the Assassin. All of Blacksword's crew was aboard the Hornet Dragon, attempting to kill Yin Sao and his men and take possession of the ship.

Ricky walked around Black Andrew, training his pistols on the two men. One was aimed between Will's eyes and the second was aimed similarly on Jack.

"I'm also surprised you managed to sneak your friend out of the brig without me noticing earlier."

Jack didn't answer or move; the fear of getting his best friend killed kept him still.

"Now, the question is… who should I kill first?"

* * *

Jackie rummaged furiously through a chest he had found in the room he was locked in. Though he may have let Captain Sparrow lock him in the room, he didn't intend to just sit around quietly.

The eight-year-old was confident in his protectors' abilities. Over the last week, he had gotten to know Miguel and Paul better and knew they would not allow anything to happen to him.

Finally, he found what he had been looking for. Grinning, the boy pulled out a beautiful, oriental knife. He couldn't help but examine it; it gave him something to do. The knife was beautiful, but- in Jackie's opinion- it was nowhere near as nice as some of the blades his father had made, nor was it as well balanced.

Lost in thought, Jackie was not expecting the sudden thump as something slammed into the door of the room. He jumped and eyed the door, his hand instinctively tightening on the hilt. Another thump caused him to jump again. 'What are Miguel and Paul doing?'

"I know you're in there, boy," a voice from outside cracked.

Jackie's dark brown eyes widened; that was _not_ Miguel's voice, nor was it Paul's.

"It's only a matter of time before I get to you," the voice said again.

Backing away from the door, staring at it with huge, frightened eyes, he ran into the chest. He looked back, noticing for the first time what else was in it. He spun around, dropping to his knees in front of the chest. Reaching in, he pulled out three more small daggers and shoved them into his belt. He also spotted a small jar inside as well and, despite the fact that he had an angry pirate attempting to break down the door, he stopped and lifted the jar. It was filled with a thick, white, milky substance.

On impulse, he picked up the jar and turned to face the door, wondering how he was supposed to take on a pirate with no one to help him. His dark brown eyes fell upon a small ledge above the door and his sharp mind quickly began to pull together fragments of ideas and combine them.

Running over, despite the splintering door, Jackie jumped up, placing the jar on the ledge. The next time he jumped up, he grabbed onto the ledge and hauled his small body up onto it. Carefully, he balanced himself on it, knife in one hand and the jar in the other.

About the time he managed to gain his balance, the door splintered again and shattered inward. Two burly pirates entered in, glancing around for the small boy they were supposed to be hunting.

Silently, Jackie drew back his arm, readying himself. He was scared, yes- hell, he was terrified- but it was understandable. He was only eight-years-old but here he was, about to have to kill to survive. Swallowing hard, he threw the knife hard, aiming for the nearest pirate.

The knife buried itself in the back of the pirate's neck, the blade cutting through his spinal cord, windpipe, and the tip actually jutting from the front of his throat. The pirate gurgled, blood pouring from his throat, and dropped.

The second pirate spun around just in time to get a glimpse of the boy he'd been hunting before a hard, glass jar smashed into his face, shattering into small, dangerous fragments.

Jackie jumped down from the ledge and started forward, but stopped in sheer horror. Where the thick, milky liquid had touched the pirate's face, the skin had begun to melt away, leaving only muscle and bones.

Lurching forward, Jackie rushed up and jerked the knife from the dead pirate' throat, despite the sickening grinding as the blade passed by bone. Then he staggered backwards, still staring in fear at the one live pirate as his face continued to melt away.

Helplessly gurgling, the pirate flailed about, trying to grab hold of the child that had done this to him. Finally snapping completely out of his shock, Jackie turned and bolted out of the door, still clutching the bloody knife in his small fists.

Running down the hall, he became aware of the shouts alerting the rest of Blacksword's crew. He had to find somewhere else safe to hide, and as quickly as possible. Fear spurred him on as he frantically searched for another unlocked room.

The sounds of men following frightened him and he couldn't help but wonder where Miguel and Paul were and if they were all right. He certainly hoped so; the thought of perhaps causing their deaths was highly disturbing.

Finally spotting an unlocked room, he raced to it and jerked it open. Before he could slip inside, though, one single gunshot ripped down the hall.

TBC

Lookie! I have a cliffhanger! Fun for me… At least, until I start getting death threats.


	12. Then in Hell

OMG! I have no homework today! I wasn't even sure such a thing existed until today.

Sorry it took so long to update. I'm just going to answer the reviews and let you read. No boring blabber to annoy you guys today.

**Smithy – **It's venom of a giant wasp. I know it can melt skin but I'm SLIGHTY over-exaggerating the effects. Oh well. Creative license. And yes. That's defiantly the plus side to kids.

**Mi Ana I Numen – **No problem. Enjoy this chapter.

**Silverpaw – **Thanks so much for the diet pill. It's working wonders. And this chapter starts on page 120 out of 207. So we've got a bit to go still. Hopefully, this cliffhanger won't be so bad.

**Sanquinedarkness666 – **Hopefully Mr. LaPalme won't have me committed after reading my essay. Hehe. And we may just have to settle for kidnapping Jason David Frank since we can't seem to contact Tommy…

**Dancin – **Could you please explain your comment. Chapter 2? Huh? Is it not showing up or something?

**Williz – **Thanks for the no Gr. And I'm glad you liked that moment between them. Times like that are the reason torture is worth it. I'll make sure to tell Jackie that you're cheering for him. Here's a VIP pass to stand on the sidelines with your sign.

**Daphnebandweenie – **Don't beat me with the chemistry book. Please! Glad you not scared anymore. Enjoy re-reading this chapter.

**Trinilee Greenleaf – **Yay! You're back! And I'm sorry it was traumatic. But here's the next chapter to make up for it. Hopefully this will answer some more questions.

**Marie Crosby - **cringes away from irate viewer Sorry for the cliffie. Sorry it took so long to update, but here it is.

**SpufFan – **This might be another good with the bad chapter. Sorry. Hope you enjoy it.

**MagRowan – **Mmmmm. My birthday IS the 29th. Think you could find a way to give me either Jack Sparrow or Tommy Oliver from Power Rangers? You'll get another chapter, and I'll get what I want. We both win. smile And yes Will excepting Jack was good. I couldn't be that mean to poor Jack as to make Will hate him. Hmmm. One of these chapters is probably going to remind you even more of that scene from the Mummy Returns. Don't think it's this one. One of the next two probably.

Okay. I think that's all the reviews. Like I said, school's been hectic. Here's the next chapter. I'll try not to take as long to post the next one.

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**BlackSword**

**---------------------**

**Chapter 12**

Black Andrew had drawn his sword and was holding it level with Jack's chest. "Who to kill first, who to kill first?" he repeated mockingly.

As tempting as it was to try and wipe the smile off the other's face, Jack resisted, knowing that any action would forfeit both his and Will's life. He merely glared at the other, caramel eyes cold and angry.

"Both options have their drawbacks, of course," the evil pirate captain continued. "So the question is, killing which of you first will serve me best."

"Or, here's another option," Jack put in. "You could fight me, and let Will go." The hopefulness in his voice was unmistakable.

Green eyes flashed, "How about, no."

Jack sighed; their options were starting to run low, unlike Blacksword's. He stepped back, still remaining between Will and Black Andrew's sword. Risking a backward glance, he looked to Will.

Will was shaking slightly, but his dark eyes were strong. His eyes met Jack's and he gave a shaky grin. Jack smiled as well; he couldn't help it. Will knew he was worried about him and because of that, he was trying not to show his weakness.

"Let's see," Blacksword began again, "Will's the best swordsman in the Caribbean, but he's also injured. Sparrow, on the other hand, is only a decent fighter, but he is uninjured." He talked as if neither Will nor Jack was there; it was almost as if he was talking to himself.

He glanced at Ricky, who was still holding his guns trained on the two of them. Ricky met his captain's gaze, understanding the unspoken question. His eyes darted nervously back to the two others, gaze resting longest on Will. His eyes slowly met the captain's again, his answer obvious.

Nodding in agreement, Blacksword let a smile flash across his face. "It seems I have settled on an answer." Jack's eyes narrowed unhappily, unease filling him. He could not let Will fight Blacksword, not in the shape he was in. Yet how could he stop it, if that's what Blacksword wanted?

Slowly pacing around the two so he could see both at the same time, Blacksword continued to smirk. The sword drifted over so that the point of it rested over Will's heart. "Young Mr. Turner. I've been waiting for the opportunity to duel you again."

Jack's heart nearly stopped. "No!" he said, voice filled with panic. "Blacksword, you can't do this. Just let Will go. He can't fight you and you know that." As he spoke, his fear rose. He would _not_ just stand by and watch Blacksword kill the other.

He felt something brush him lightly and he looked back. Will slowly shook his head, trying to get Jack to stop. "Jack it's… it's okay. I'll… I'll be fine."

Shaking his head angrily, Jack said, "No, you're not okay! I can't let you do this!"

"You don't have any chance in this," Black Andrew replied to his prisoner's friend. "So either you accept it, or I'll simply have Ricky shoot you both."

Feeling torn, Jack looked between the two, his eyes remaining on Will the longest. He looked his friend, once again trying to assess how badly injured Will was. His eyes drifted from his friend's cut neck and broken shoulder to the other numerous injuries.

Turning back towards Blacksword, he begged one final time. "Please don't make him do this. Hasn't he gone through enough?"

There was no answer, but neither did Blacksword move.

"Wait! You… he can't fight you; he's unarmed," Jack said, noticing that for the first time.

A slight smile flickered across Blacksword's face. "Well, we can't have that, can we?" Suddenly he pulled out a second sword from a sheath on his belt and tossed it to Will.

Catching the sword in his left hand, Will couldn't control the slight trembling of his arm. His muscles weren't ready for this stress, but he was going to attempt to at least hold his own.

Ricky slowly moved his gun from Will to Jack so that both his guns were on the captain; one still between his eyes and the second at his heart.

"No," Jack whispered to himself, "no, no, no. This isn't happening.

Slowly, limping slightly, Will edged away from Jack, trying to give himself some room, sword balanced lightly in his left hand.

Jack's eyes closed; he didn't want to watch his friend's death. 'How did it come to this? Why is this happening?' The sharp clash of swords made his eyes snap back open.

* * *

Jackie flinched when the bullet smashed into the door less then an inch from his head. His heart nearly stopped in his chest, but he managed to pull himself into the small room. He leaned heavily against the door, breathing hard.

Another bullet hit the door and he heard the door splinter from the force. He glanced fearfully about the room, searching for a way out. On impulse, he looked up and his eyes fell upon a small hatch leading to the upper deck. Unfortunately, he was far too short to reach it.

Putting the knife he was holding into his belt, he raced over to the table against the wall and began to drag it under the hatch. The pounding on the door continued to only get louder.

Climbing on top of the table, he jumped, trying to see if he could touch the ceiling. He could only brush it with his fingertips; which was not good enough. Jumping down, he grabbed a chair and as he placed that on the table, he couldn't help but think about what his mother would say to this.

Getting on the chair, he could touch easier and he pushed the hatch open. With that, Jackie slowly pulled himself up and out of the room.

* * *

Grant felt like laughing as he quickly climbed the rigging of the Hornet Dragon, his pistol stuffed into his belt. Neither Jack Sparrow nor Will Turner realized he was there. Gaining his vantage point, he turned to where he needed to pay attention.

Will Turner was fighting Blacksword and actually managing to keep up. The young man was strictly on the defensive; he had no strength to waste on attacking. Grant was impressed; Will had been beaten continuously for over a month and yet the adrenaline rush still had given him enough strength to keep from getting killed. Perhaps he hadn't just lucked into the title of best swordsman in the Caribbean, maybe he really _was_ the best.

Balancing on the rigging, Grant pulled out his pistol. Blacksword had told him to make sure to injure Sparrow; the captain had not been looking forward to fighting the other after killing Will. Black Andrew had said that he wouldn't mind if he missed and accidentally killed Sparrow.

'I wonder, if I 'accidentally' miss and 'accidentally' kill Will if Captain Andrew will be upset?' Indecision gripped him as he wavered between his targets.

* * *

Will wanted to die, although at the moment it didn't look like he would have to wait long. He knew he wouldn't be able to match Blacksword much longer. It simply was not possible. Despite what he had told Jack, he could feel his body quite literally failing on him. Each breath was becoming more and more agonizing.

He swung the blade in his hand, barely intercepting Black Andrew's sword. The shock that rolled through him threatened to cause him to black out. He backed away as quickly as injured body allowed.

There was no way Will could miss the fear that filled Jack's eyes. As busy as he was trying to fight Black Andrew, he still noticed his friend's emotional anguish. He also couldn't miss the fact Ricky still had both of his guns pointed towards Jack.

'What the hell am I doing fighting Blacksword? I don't stand a chance. And I know Jack isn't just going to sit and wait for this to be over. He's going to get himself killed if he tries to help me.'

His distraction nearly proved fatal as Black Andrew attacked again, lashing out and smashing the pommel of his sword into Will's injured shoulder. Will yelped in pain and his legs collapsed underneath him.

Bright sparks exploded through his vision as he felt the bone shift inside. Falling flat on the floor hadn't helped either. His back- covered in welts as it was- screamed in agony and his broken bones also shifted.

Jack tensed, hot anger shooting through him. He might not have known how much damage Black Andrew was doing, but he knew the other captain was causing pain. 'Damn it! I promised Will that I wouldn't let Blacksword hurt him anymore.' He wanted nothing more than to stop Blacksword and end his friend's pain.

Unfortunately, he was helpless to stop the fight; the guns were still aimed at his head and heart. All he would succeed in doing would be getting himself killed.

Black Andrew stomped hard on Will's wrist, the force of it nearly breaking the bone there. Will instinctively released the blade he held, removing some of the pressure from his wrist.

Quickly getting off the younger man's wrist, Black Andrew slashed downward. Will had just one option- at least that he could think of- so he took it.

He rolled to the side, attempting to ignore the pain that threatened to completely override everything else. As he did, he grabbed onto the sword he had dropped, despite the pain that flashed through his wrist.

As he pulled himself to his feet, an idea slowly began to form in his mind. He needed Jack's help; that was obvious. Yet he wouldn't get his help as long as Ricky stood there with his guns still aimed at Jack. He would have to do something about that.

The rage that flashed through Blacksword's eyes was almost comical. Will would have laughed if he hadn't known what that rage could lead to. Instead, the emotion that flashed through him was fear.

Fortunately, his natural fighting instincts allowed him the freedom to attempt to come up with a plan to kill Ricky. Unfortunately, those instincts were also used to his body being into top shape, not almost failing as it was. What he wanted to do and what he was capable of were two totally different things.

He ducked under the next swipe; often the easiest way to avoid getting hit was simply not to be there- something that had taken him a long time to learn.

It was difficult, splitting his attention as he was. Part of him was trying to figure out how to get Jack out of trouble, another was trying to fight Blacksword, and the last part was concentrating on keeping himself alive and conscious.

'Why am I having trouble thinking of how to help Jack? All I have to do is kill Ricky.'

He staggered backwards, sparing a glance at Ricky. The pirate's full attention was locked on Jack; the injured blacksmith was of no concern to him.

A grim smile flickered across Will's bruised face. If he was going to die, then he wouldn't mind dying while saving Jack. He blocked another blow and suddenly he made up his mind.

Letting his legs once again collapse underneath him, he spun on his way down so he was facing Ricky and Jack. Though he didn't realize it, the move probably saved his life because the strike Blacksword aimed at him would have been unavoidable otherwise.

Jerking his hand back, Will aimed his sword at Ricky's back. Jack had often complimented his talent at throwing his sword, but now he was unsure. He only had one chance to take out the other. If he missed, both he and Jack would die. His life might already be forfeit, but his friend's wasn't and that was what sent stirrings of doubt through his heart.

His hand tightened on the hilt and he launched the sword towards the other's back.

Jack's caramel eyes widened even as he saw Will drop and spin, his mind already beginning to connect he pieces. "Will, no!" he couldn't help but scream. He knew what his friend was planning, but if the younger man followed through with his idea there would be nothing left to protect himself with.

Ricky noticed the change in Jack and he spun, wondering what was happening. He turned only in time to see the sword leave the prisoner's hand. At the same time, Jack reached forward, wrenching one of the guns from Ricky's hand.

The sword caught Ricky full in the chest, actually picking him off the floor and throwing him backwards.

The instant the sword hit Ricky, Jack was ready. He snapped the pistol up and fired as shot straight at Blacksword. The other pirate had been about to kill his prisoner and that was something Jack couldn't allow.

Quickly pulling his sword from his sheath, Jack tossed it to Will. Backing up a pace, he tried to jerk the sword from Ricky's chest. He couldn't get it out. Frantically, he grabbed the hilt and began shaking it, an eerie sense of deja vu filling him.

Finally, the sword slid from the lifeless body and Jack nearly fell over as it came out. He also quickly looked for Ricky's second pistol. When he couldn't find it, he gave up.

Standing and turning, a bright flash caught his eye. Jack hesitated; Will needed his help but… He started forward and his searched for whatever had alerted him. He almost froze when he spotted a pirate- obviously a member of Blacksword's crew- perched in the rigging of the Hornet Dragon.

'So, looks like Blacksword had a backup plan,' he though grimly. 'Take us out without us ever knowing what hit us. The cheating bastard.'

His eyes drifted over to Will. His friend was struggling to keep up with Blacksword and his dark brown eyes were begging for his help.

As Will continued blocking, he wondered why Jack wasn't helping him. The pirate seemed rooted to the spot. 'What is he… doing?'

"Jack!" he screamed desperately.

The scream ripped through Jack's heart. He couldn't help Will, he had to take out the other pirate. If he didn't… but then again, if he didn't help Will…

His eyes darted upwards, to the pirate in the rigging. The man gripped his pistol, taking careful aim; unfortunately, Jack couldn't tell whom the target was.

Pulling out his own pistol, Jack also took aim. The only thing that Jack was afraid of was that while he killed the man in the rigging, Blacksword would kill Will.

Breathing deeply, Jack targeted the man. He fired the shot quickly, hoping he hadn't waited too long. The gunshot raced through the ship, a strange echo following. 'Echo?' It was almost more like the sound of one gunshot followed by a second.

A second gunshot…

* * *

With a soft grunt, Jackie closed the small hatch he had slipped through. With all luck, the pirates chasing him wouldn't know where he had gone.

Glancing nervously around, he pulled the knife from his belt and fingered it lightly. He was still slightly horrified with what he had done, but considering the other option, it wasn't bad. The blade was covered in blood and it didn't bother him as much as he had thought it would.

He was breathing heavily, his quiet panting filling the hallway. That cannon fire had ceased and the sole other sounds were those of gunshots. It was almost creepy.

Movement caught his sharp eyes. He turned, dark brown eyes searching for an explanation. The hand holding his knife quivered. He didn't like this at all. What he really wanted to do was find Captain Sparrow but he knew he'd get in trouble for it, if he even found the man.

He took a deep breath and started through the ship. He had his orders and he would at least try to follow them; although with his luck, he doubted he'd be able to.

* * *

Two gunshots… it was impossible. He only had the one pistol. The only other people that had a pistol were Ricky- who was dead, and whose pistol was missing- and the man in the rigging. The man in the rigging…

His caramel eyes shot over to Will and Blacksword, trying desperately to assess if either of them had been shot.

Will had a grim smile on his face; it was about the opposite of Blacksword's dark glare. Confusion filled Jack; what was going on? He started towards the two.

"Next time… get someone… with better aim," Will managed, voice laced heavily with pain.

"He wasn't supposed to shoot you," Black Andrew growled. "He was supposed to take out Captain Sparrow."

"Then Grant has _really_ bad aim," Will commented. Despite his offhand manner it was easy to see the pain in his eyes. "You'd think he'd at least hit my good arm if he was aiming for me."

Only then did Jack notice the large, growing bloodstain on his friend's upper arm. How he had missed it only seconds ago, he didn't know.

Fortunately, as Will had pointed out, the bullet had hit his right arm, which was useless in the first place. Jack quickly got to Will's side; he was not about to let this fight continue without him.

"Let's make this fight slightly more even," he said, hand tightening on the hilt of his sword. He glanced at Will, eyes pleading with the younger man, trying to convince him to step aside and allow him to fight Blacksword alone.

Weakly, Will shook his head. "No," he whispered, "You're here because of me; I'll not allow you to fight him by yourself."

It seemed as if he wanted to say more, but he didn't get the chance. Black Andrew attacked, face painted with anger. Quickly stepping between the young blacksmith and the furious pirate captain, Jack threw his blade up, blocking the heavy stroke.

Blacksword backed away and spun around him. He knew he would be hard pressed to keep up with two men, even though one was injured to the point of near death. He planned to kill Will quickly so that he could pay full attention to Jack.

Will stood at Jack's back, ready to protect his friend. He would let Jack take the brunt of Blacksword's attack, but he would not let him fight the other pirate alone.

Blacksword dodged around Jack and struck out at Will. The young blacksmith barely blocked in time; the shock rolled through his entire arm, sending hot waves of agony shooting through his veins. Knowing Will would block his blow, Black Andrew lashed out as he had earlier, but this time he smashed the pommel into his side.

Will managed to remain on his feet but his pain made his body freeze up momentarily. What Blacksword hadn't counted on was Jack; he kept making he mistake of writing the pirate out.

Jack slammed hard into Blacksword, pushing the pirate hard to the side and knocking him to the ground. Risking a glance to Will, Jack assured himself that the other was okay before going after Blacksword.

Gasping for breath, Will shuddered slightly. Every time he breathed, he felt pain flare through his ribs. Along with that, his shoulder still throbbed from the first time he had been hit.

Jack angrily attacked Black Andrew; he was tired of this. Tired of Blacksword hurting Will, tired of not knowing if Will was okay, and tired of having to ignore the pain his friend was in.

Ducking under the furious pirate captain's attacks, Black Andrew slashed upwards. The blade caught Jack in the chest, cutting up from the top of his solar plexus to his breastbone.

The shock of pain caused Jack to stumble back. Quickly sliding forward, Blacksword followed Jack and continued to attack without giving the other a chance to regain his footing.

Spinning, Black Andrew knocked Jack to the ground and positioned the tip of his sword at Jack's throat. "You know, I was planning on killing Turner first, but I think I'll change my plans. After all, it's not very often you get an opportunity like this."

The words floated back to Will, who was still rooted to the spot and penetrated his pain induced daze. Horror coursed through him as he realized what had happened. "Oh, God, no," he whispered to himself. "Jack..."

* * *

Miguel ached and he was exhausted. He and Paul had been protecting Jackie, but Black Andrew's crew had forced them away.

"We failed," Paul said softly from his side. "Captain Sparrow told us to protect Jackie, but we couldn't even do that."

The Spaniard looked over to his friend, "We have to find the boy. Even if he's dead, we must find him."

Blonde hair fell into Paul's face as he nodded. "I hope he's okay. If the captain manages to rescue Mr. Turner, the blacksmith would not be happy to find out his son is dead."

The two picked their way through the Hornet Dragon, stepping over the dead bodies littering the floor.

"How are we going to find him?" Paul asked.

"I don't know. We should split up. You take the upper levels of the ship and I'll take the lower levels. If you find him, come get me so I'll know he's okay."

"See you later, Miguel."

"If not here, then in hell."

TBC

Hmmmm. I hear hell's hot. Just like marching band. GRRRRRRRR. Stupid band and 109 heat index.


	13. Not as Easy as it Would Seem

I'm SOOOOOOO SORRY it took me so long to update. But I do have a good excuse. Two words. Hurricane Katrina. Even though I live in LA – that's LOWER ALABAMA in case you didn't know – we still lost power and had repairs and… Ugh. I hate hurricanes. School's even been cancelled until further notice. Can you guys believe that? We're going to lose our whole summer break!

Okay, I'm done complaining now. On the bright side, I am now 17! Haha! Man, I'm getting old.

**Smithy** – Sorry it took so long. And we'll see if they get out of this rather large mess.

**Dancin** – I'm not telling who dies. No way. Hope you like Chapter 13 as well.

**Numen** – Sorry it's late but hope you enjoy anyway.

**l.j.davies** – Wow. International recognition! Glad you like it! Here's the next chapter. Tell me what you think.

**MagRowan** – That thing about paper not being huggable? Tell that to my friend Chris. He made out with another of my friend's Jack Sparrow poster. I'm serious. And no, not the double decker bus scene. Actually, it's the same scene we were talking about earlier. It's in this chapter… Wel, it reminded ME of it. Hope you like this chapter.

**Marie Crosby** - #hides behind freakishly big Pre-Calculus book# Please don't hurt me. But I am glad you liked those lines. They were fun and seemed appropriate. Enjoy chapter 13!

**Silverpaw** – Well I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. And in answer to your other question… I DO have a sequel I'm working on, BUT it's not done and I haven't gotten it typed yet. So whether or not it gets up depends on whether or not I can get anyone to type it for me and if I think it's any good, 'cause it's way different from this one.

**Williz** – CLEAR! #zaps Williz with defibulater-thingy# Oh wait, you weren't being serious about the heart-stopping. Sorry. But here's the next chapter to make up for me zapping you. And yes, it is sweet that they fight for each other. I love it so much. That's why I do it.

**Sanquinedarkness666** – If you sick Fred on me I'll beat you with Conner. Haha! And here's the next chapter. I hate being out of school like this. My mom said if this lasts too long, we'll have to do home-schooling. ICKY!

**Trinilee Greenleaf** – Love it when you review. It makes me all bubbly inside. (Though at the moment, it could be the four sodas I drank.) And who wouldn't want Tommy Oliver for a birthday present? #pats on shoulder# It's okay to like pain. I'm in the same boat as you. And I'm super glad you though it played out like a movie. But what does LMAO stand for? Answer me that, and I give you this shiny, new chapter.

**Madame Opera Ghost** – Did I detect a hint of sarcasm? Glad you like my story though. On to the next chapter!

**SpufFan** – Hmmmm. British novelty… That IS a good idea… I guess you'll just have to see how evil I am. Mwahahahaha! #looks around in surprise# Where did THAT come from! Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Okay, you guys – and girls – have waited long enough for this chapter, so I'm shutting up now and letting you read.

**---------------------**

**BlackSword**

**---------------------**

**Chapter 13**

Jack didn't move; he couldn't move. The tip of Black Andrew's sword was digging dangerously into his throat. He was breathing heavily, pain shooting through his chest. His blood had run down his chest and stomach. His hand still held his sword.

"Most believe you to be immortal. I shall prove otherwise."

Trembling slightly on the deck, Jack swallowed hard. If he died, then Will would surely follow. He had never told Will that he considered him to be his best friend before this hour. He wasn't sure if Will had heard, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

For the first time in his life, Jack regretted being a pirate. As a pirate, he had to uphold an image, and part of his image included not showing feelings of concern for anyone, even his friends. Despite the fact that he had completely destroyed his image by showing how he felt about Will, he still didn't like what he had done. Now, though, his friend would probably follow him in death.

His caramel eyes flickered sadly. 'Will, I'm sorry,' he thought, 'you never should have gotten involved in this.'

The smile that crossed Blacksword's face was cold enough to freeze the ocean. "And so ends the tale of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow."

Before he could do anything though, something slammed hard into the evil pirate, knocking him away from Jack. Jack started in surprise. 'What the…?"

He found himself staring up into a pair of dark brown eyes. "Will?" he asked in surprise.

Will grinned shakily at him, pain heavily accenting the smile. Before Jack had the chance to say anything else though, Will dropped hard to the deck as consciousness fled him.

"Will!" he screamed, getting quickly off his back and onto his knees next to his friend. "Will?"

"I don't understand. Why are you so concerned for him? You are a pirate, correct?" Blacksword asked, coming back.

Jack stood up, staying protectively between the blacksmith's body and Black Andrew. "I may be a bloody pirate, but he's my best friend, savvy?" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "And I'm going to kill you because of what you did."

"Oh, so not only had Captain Sparrow gone soft, but he's also developed a sense of honor." A large sneer spread across his face, "How pathetic."

Hand tightening on the hilt of his sword, Jack tried to ignore the pain that shot through his chest as he did. If Will had done everything he had with all of his injuries, then he could do this with just the one wound.

Lurching forward, Blacksword attacked the other captain, anger still showing on his face. Jack blocked, another jolt racing through his chest. Quickly attacking, Jack tried to end the fight as quickly as possible. He needed it to end; he needed to know if Will was okay.

As he continued to block and slash, he couldn't help but glance back at his friend's unresponsive body. Will hadn't moved, and the sole positive factor was that he could see the rise and fall of his friend's chest.

"Watch who you're calling pathetic," Jack warned. "After all, Will was able to match you just now, despite all his injuries. I'd consider that pretty pathetic on your part."

Anger flashed through Blacksword's countenance. "Damn you, Sparrow," he hissed. He swung his sword around, hoping to drive the point into his adversary. Jack blocked again; it seemed that he had been doing that quite a lot.

Pain shot through his chest as an abrupt blow sent shock rolling through him.

"You know Sparrow, maybe you'll live long enough to see my men when they bring back the body of young Jack Turner back. It's only a matter of time. Then you'll have caused the death of two generations of Turners."

Freezing completely, Jack stared in horror.

"Wait, I'm sorry, that should have been _three_ generations of Turners," Blacksword continued in a mocking tone. "After all, didn't you cause the death of ol' Bootstrap?"

Anger flared deep inside of Jack. He may have believed that he had caused Bootstrap's death, but that didn't give anyone the right to tell him it was his fault.

"Captain!"

Both Jack and Blacksword stopped, turning back towards the Hornet Dragon.

"Captain!" the man repeated. He was one of Black Andrew's crew. "Captain, the boy disappeared. We can't find him, and he killed Rodger and James!"

Surprise was written on Black Andrew's face. "What? How? Rodger and James are two of the best!"

The surprise in Black Andrew's voice was mirrored in Jack's mind. 'Little, Jackie?' he thought, 'he killed two trained pirates? Damn, that kid is good.' Another thought occurred to him, 'Elizabeth is not going to be happy.'

"Find him," Blacksword ordered, "I want that boy dead!"

"I think you're losing your touch. Can't even capture and kill an eight-year-old child."

Spinning around to face Jack, a large sneer spread across his face. "Hold your tongue, Sparrow! Or perhaps I'll capture and force you to go through everything your friend went through. Would you like that?"

"I'd rather go and rot in hell," Jack said angrily. "Though I think, unfortunately, I'd meet you there."

"I could arrange the meeting."

* * *

Paul slid down the hall, hilt clenched tightly in his fist. As he slowly navigated to the upper levels of the ship, he noticed the sharp increase in the amount of pirates searching the ship.

"Damn it, this is not good. I hope Jackie is alright," he muttered. "Maybe Miguel is having better luck than me."

The sound of loud footfalls alerted him and he turned quickly. A small flash of brown and white slipped past, followed closely be many pirates.

"Jackie," he called. The boy slid to a dead stop and changed directions. The boy came pelting up the hall and skidded around behind him.

"Paul," he whimpered, "they want to kill me. I only killed two of them. I didn't want to. Don't let them hurt me!"

The pirates changed directions, coming after Jackie, despite Paul's presence. Paul's eyes widened slightly; there were way, way too many for him to even possibly begin to deal with.

"Jackie, head to the deck. I'll distract them for you."

"But-"

"Just go!"

* * *

A few minutes later, Jackie pulled up to an empty hallway. He slowed down, letting his breathing return to normal. He felt horrible, knowing that Paul was quite possibly sacrificing his life for him.

He was close to the deck now, and he knew it. One hallway over and he'd be at the ladder that led to the deck.

Sighing softly, he peered around the corner, attempting to see if anyone was coming. He didn't see anything, but that didn't man no one was there.

Pulling his knife from his belt, he held it tightly. 'Maybe I should have stayed with Paul. I might have stood a better chance with him than by myself.'

A few pirates came, jumping down the ladder. The loud thump caused Jackie to jump. 'Oh shit!'

The thought surprised him. Where had that thought come from? 'I have been spending too much time around Captain Sparrow. Mom is not going to be happy.'

The pirates continued on, ignoring the small side passage. With another sigh, he slipped around the corner and quickly pulled himself up the ladder.

* * *

Miguel groaned; he had searched the lower levels of the ship twice, but he still had not found Jackie. "Damn it, Captain Sparrow is going to kill me."

Turning, he slowly headed upwards; perhaps Paul had had better luck.

The sounds of unsteady footfalls reached his ears. He shifted his sword to his left hand and pulled out his pistol. The steps grew louder and the Spaniard swallowed hard.

To his surprise it was Paul who came staggering around the corner; one hand still clenching his sword while the other was holding his stomach.

"Paul?" he asked in surprise. He noticed the deep bloodstain growing from under his friend's hand. "Paul, what the hell? What happened?"

Abruptly, Paul collapsed, sword dropping to the ground. "Found… found the kid," he whispered in pain.

Miguel dropped his sword and gun and fell to his knees next to the other pirate. "What? Where is he? Is he okay? Are you okay? Let me see."

Weakly shaking his head, Paul said, "Don't. Find Ja… Jackie. Should be… on deck."

"Well, you're coming with me, right?" Miguel asked, desperate hopefulness in his voice.

Suddenly, he wondered if the feeling he felt inside was the same one Captain Sparrow had felt when he had believed Will had died aboard the Assassin. 'No second chances for us though.'

"Don't… don't think so. I'll probably see… you in… hell, though... just… just like you said," Paul managed as his green eyes slowly grew dim. Miguel could almost literally feel the life draining from his friend.

"I was joking about that. You weren't supposed to take me seriously," Miguel's voice was full of misery.

"Spanish men and their jokes…" Paul teased. "Find Jackie… He's in… danger. You'll… have to protect him. I can't…" His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he shuddered once, and then went still.

Miguel felt numb. "No," he whispered. He wanted to cry, wanted to stay there, but he had his duty. Protect Jackie. His friend had just died for that. Absolutely _nothing _was going to happen to the boy. Not as long as he had a say in it.

* * *

"What's the matter, Sparrow? Worried about Will and Jackie? Don't be, you'll see them soon enough once you're all dead!"

Jack scowled darkly. "Overconfidence often backfires. It'll be the thing that kills you." He blocked another attack as Blacksword's fury rose.

"Don't lecture me, Sparrow," Black Andrew warned. He was growing frustrated. It shouldn't have taken them this long to take out these two men. Will was injured and unconscious and now Jack was also hurt, yet he still had not killed either. His men hadn't even been able to capture and kill a mere child.

"Frustrated? Good!" Jack replied.

"Captain!"

Once again both men turned. "What?" they demanded simultaneously.

"Found him!"

Jack was confused, "What?"

Obviously, Blacksword wasn't, just as it was obvious that the man was talking to him. "Then kill him!"

Jack's head snapped around, long dark brown hair whipping into his face. "What!"

"Uh, Captain, we're trying. It's… more difficult than we thought it would be."

"If you can't handle an eight-year-old child, then you have no reason being a pirate."

"Well Captain, take a look. If you think you can do better, please do so." As he said this, the man pointed up behind him.

Shock rolled through both Jack and Andrew as they caught sight of Jackie. The boy was crouched in the rigging, holding tightly onto the mast. In one of his small fists was a knife while the other was wrapped around the wood of the mast. The blade was in his hand and his arm was pulled back, ready to launch it into the first pirate who came up to him.

"Jackie?" the Black Pearl's captain said in disbelief and concern.

A soft groan alerted him and he spun around. Blacksword stood, not moving and not caring. Jack's eyes widened as they fell upon Will's body. The young man was slowly regaining consciousness.

"Shit," Jack hissed to himself. He had been hoping to kill Blacksword before his friend woke up.

He glanced back to Black Andrew. The other captain was still staring at Jackie. Jack's gaze drifted up to the boy. As he heard a familiar voice, his attention shifted over to the voice's owner. "Miguel?"

The Spaniard looked over at him. "Captain?"

"Miguel, help Jackie!"

"What do you think I'm doing? I just got here."

Another weak moan drifted up to him. Slowly sliding backwards, Jack edged towards his friend.

The first thing Will became aware of was a sharp pain in his shoulder and ribs. The pain nearly caused him to black out again. He felt sick and his head pounded as a strong chill swept through him. He shivered and nausea settled in the pit of his stomach.

Jack, eyes still locked on Blacksword, knelt in front of his friend. "Will, are you okay?" Before his friend answered, he changed the question. "Can you pretend to still be unconscious?"

"So, he's awake. Good, now I can take him out."

Fear began to wash through Jack. He rose to his feet, still facing Black Andrew. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed Will struggling to get to his feet.

Suddenly, Jack put his sword back into his sheath and turned his back to the other captain. Reaching down, he took hold of Will's left hand and helped the younger man to his feet.

Will wavered as he had earlier and Jack became alarmed by the heat radiating from the boy's skin. His brown eyes were dull and full of misery, and Jack began to wonder if his friend was capable of fighting.

"You're a pathetic liar, Turner. You may be able to fool Sparrow, but not me." Confusion filled Jack; Will hadn't said anything, what was Black Andrew talking about?

"I know how you feel; I know that death pulls at you. You fight merely to keep yourself alive, yet he knows nothing of it. Sparrow doesn't realize that even if you succeed in killing me, you shall never live through the day."

Pure horror and concern filled Jack. "Will? You- No!"

* * *

Miguel turned away from his captain, his eyes seeking out Jackie. He found the little boy perched in the rigging, clutching a knife tightly in his hand. The alarming part of the matter was that there were several pirates chasing the child and the closest had just about reached him.

Before the Spaniard could do anything, the boy launched the knife into the approaching pirate. The man gurgled and fell back, onto the pirates below. The pirates dropped, knocked loose by their comrades' fall. They smashed to the deck with a sickening series of cracks and pops.

The boy's eyes widened in surprise; obviously, he had not expected that. "Jackie!" he yelled once his own shock wore off. "Get down here!"

Grinning, Jackie nodded and leaned back, swinging down so he was hanging upside down by his legs.

"Jack Turner, don't even think-"

He didn't listen and he released himself. The eight-year-old dropped straight down then grabbed onto another rope further down. Then he swung so he was facing right side up and let go, dropping the remaining five feet to the deck.

Jackie landed in a crouch not more than two feet from Miguel. The Spanish man stared at the child with a mixture of awe and surprise written clearly on his face.

"You did that just to give me a heart attack, didn't you?" Miguel demanded, no small amount of frustration in his eyes.

The boy merely smiled infuriatingly, "No. You _told_ me to get down. I just used a way Captain Sparrow showed me."

"I don't know what the captain was thinking when he taught you that."

Shrugging slightly, Jackie asked, "Did you find Paul?"

A wave of pain flashed through Miguel's awareness. His sorrow was acute and he once again felt the urge to cry, much as Jack had earlier aboard the Pearl.

"I… I found him, but… he…"

Color drained from Jackie's face. "What? He… no… it can't… I didn't…"

"Don't worry Jackie, it wasn't your fault," Miguel said as he regained control of his emotions.

"No!"

The scream ripped through the air, causing both Miguel and Jackie to jump.

"That was Captain Sparrow!" The young boy gasped.

Miguel, reaching the same conclusion, spun back towards the Assassin. As he did, he grabbed hold of the child's hand and pulled the boy along with him. He would not leave the child behind.

His eyes fell upon the captain and he watched in confusion. Despite the blood draining down Jack's chest, the pirate seemed fine. He was staring wide-eyed at Blacksword, horror on his face and his sword in its sheath.

Swaying slightly beside him was Will, who looked horrible. The young man was covered in blood and was pale and trembling. It was obvious that he was hurt, badly so. And Black Andrew, he simply had a smirk on his face as he stood across from the two, sword in hand.

"Dad? Dad!" Jackie screamed in growing excitement as he saw his father. "Dad!"

Miguel tightened his grip on the boy's wrist and he jerked the boy back. "Come on, Jackie."

"No," he said in anguish. "Dad, he…"

"Yes, he's alive. Now come on, I need to get you to safety." Miguel began to slowly drag the resisting boy to the stern of the ship.

"But-"

"Jackie!" Miguel interrupted sharply. His dark eyes flashed angrily.

Swallowing whatever he had been about to say, Jackie stopped as he remembered that he had caused the death of the Spaniard's best friend. He felt he owed the other that much at least. "You… you knew…? You knew my father was alive?"

Nodding grimly, Miguel continued to pull the boy along with him. "I knew."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" the boy demanded.

"Captain Sparrow didn't want you to get your hopes up. He knew there was a large probability your father would be dead before we got here, so he made us keep quiet."

"But dad's not dead!" the child was thrilled.

"No, he's not," Miguel agreed. 'Yet at least,' he thought grimly.

TBC

HOPEFULLY, there won't be any hurricanes delaying my next chapter.

See you folks later!


	14. If it's Not One Thing it's Another

Hahaha! For the first time in what seems like forever, I don't have a paper that's due or a football game to go to. I can finally update! Yay!

Wow, I never expected to get this many reviews. I'm in shock! You people make me feel so incredibly special.

And to anyone who was wondering, yeah, my family and I are all fine. Things have just been a bit chaotic down here since Katrina. Hopefully things are starting to calm down now, so life can return to normal.

**Smithy** – Aww, glad you like Miguel. He's a nice guy. Or at least I wanted him to be.

**Numen** – Sorry it took so long, but hopefully it will be good enough to make up for the wait.

**l.j. davies** – Glad you're so into this. Here's chapter 14 for you.

**Marie Crosby** – Ha! I've come up with a couple of good lines now! I'm special! Hope you like this chapter. Maybe there'll be another good line in this one.

**Sanquinedarkness666** – Yes, I should hope you know what happens considering you typed this for me. By the way, I'm going to be putting up a Power Rangers one-shot so keep an eye out for it and review. Kyle begged me to write something so that got me started. Too bad he hasn't actually read it…

**Silverpaw** – Glad it was satisfying and I hope this one is too. All I can tell you is that I'll do my best in regards to getting the sequel up. It may take a while, but I'll honestly try.

**Dancin** – The best story ever? Wow! Thanks! Hope you like this chapter too and that the rest of this story is good too. Keep reviewing. It makes me happy! Happy, happy, happy!

**Madame Opera Ghost** – Hopefully things will be all cleared up, and if they aren't, just ask me. Hope you like!

**Daphnebandweenie** – So, did Andrew do a "hand check" on you and Daniel on the band bus? He did to me and Wendy… EWWW. I mean, I dated him. I don't go for the girls. Guys are WAY too hot! You have to keep an eye out for my one-shot too. Hopefully you'll like it.

**Williz** – Difibulator at the ready! And thank you for poxing the hurricanes. So far it seems to have worked. Hope you like chapter 14.

**SpufFan** – A challenge? What kind of challenge? Cause sorry, I can't do pure romance, sex stuff. Bleh! But yeah, let me hear it. And while everyone's waiting, here's the next chapter.

**MagRowan **– Glad you can appreciate the friendship between two guys and not just try to turn it into some gay thing. Some people can't. And I'm super glad you felt sad that he died. Means he wasn't a complete waste. Have fun with chapter 14!

**Lord-of-the-Ruler** – Bloody pulps are good. Haha! Sorry. I'm a little strange sometimes.

**Hawkstra** – Frozen solid? Sounds nice at the moment. Heat and humidity are not all it's sometimes cracked up to be. Sorry about the cliffie, but here's the next part.

**Trinilee Greenleaf** – Oooooh, it's your birthday soon? Happy early birthday! And good luck with getting Tommy. If you get him, you'll have to send me a picture… And here's that shiny new chapter I promised. Sorry it's a little late. I felt a little bad about killing Paul, but I felt like I had to. Oh well, it worked. Thanks for your prayers. They make me feel loved. I'll post the next chapter for you as soon as humanly possible (although honestly, some of my friends would contest the part about me being human).

**WARNING** - Okay, one other thing before we start this chapter. No matter what you read, there is no slash content in this story. If you look, you could probably put some in this chapter and maybe one or two others, but it's NOT meant that way.

Now that that's cleared up… Onto the story!

**--------------------**

**BlackSword**

**--------------------**

**Chapter 14**

It couldn't be true; there was no possible way. Jack stared at Blacksword; it couldn't be true. He wouldn't _let_ it.

His caramel eyes flickered back to Will. The younger man looked miserable, but he forced a grin when he noticed Jack watching him.

Will was breathing hard as sharp spokes of agony shot through him. He wanted this to be over. He would not allow himself to die before he knew Jack would be okay, but it was becoming more and more difficult.

Jack pulled his sword back from his sheath. This had to end.

"Ah, Jack, I almost feel sorry for you. It must be discouraging, knowing that every friend you'll ever make is going to die because of you. First Bootstrap, now this little whelp."

Will started in surprise at the mention of his father. Blacksword had never before given any indication he had heard of his father.

"It wasn't my fault," Jack said angrily. "And Will is _not_ going to die, no matter what you say."

Will's mind bean spinning, although at first it was merely in helpless circles. There was something there, he just couldn't quite grasp it.

For the first time that day, Jack attacked Blacksword before the other was ready. He was mad, his chest throbbed, and he was scared, putting him in a bad mood.

Black Andrew fell backwards, landing hard on his back close to the cannons.

Cannons? Suddenly Will gasped as his mind instantly snapped the pieces together.

Staggering forward, he grabbed hold of Jack, pulling him backwards. He pushed his friend into the rail of the Assassin. "Jack…"

"Will, what-"

"You promised you'd… look after my family, if anything happened to me. Did you… mean it?"

The pirate's voice was soft. "You know I did. But Will, why-"

Will interrupted, "Then you'd better keep your promise. I'll be waiting for you in hell if you don't." Before Jack could react, Will drew back and smashed his fist into the other's face, knocking him back and over the rail of the Assassin.

Jack had the strange feeling of free falling before he hit the water.

* * *

Will turned back to Blacksword, trembling heavily. He had an idea, but he was unwilling to risk Jack's life. Plus, if he was right, if Jack stayed aboard the Assassin, he would wind up dead like the rest of them.

"What's wrong? Have you finally realized you can't defeat me?" Blacksword taunted.

"No, I just… don't want him to get hurt," Will managed. He tightened his hand on the hilt of the sword. His injuries protested sharply, but he ignored it.

A sharp laugh escaped the pirate's lips.

The laugh stopped as Black Andrew caught sight of the wry smile on Will's face. "What?"

"You have no idea."

Stepping forward, Black Andrew raised his sword even with Will's throat. "No matter what, if you're dead, I don't have to worry."

"That remains to be seen." Flicking his wrist, Will knocked aside Black Andrew's sword.

"You seem awfully confident. I'll have to fix that." He was in no way intimidated by the shivering man in front of him. He raised his sword again.

Before Blacksword attacked, Will spun around and limped away. The cannon fire had long since ceased, but that was not what he was relying on. Eyes spotting what he needed, he darted forward, dropping to his knees and spinning around to face the other. His hand slipped behind him, taking hold of something Black Andrew couldn't see.

"You're dead boy."

"I know. So are you. You just don't realize it."

Face darkening, Blacksword continued to advance. "Watch what you say, boy."

Will grinned and, faster than he had thought possible for an injured man, pulled his hand from behind his back and launched what he was holding at the other.

The chain shot smashed into the pirate's leg, and a sharp crack indicated that the bone had snapped. Black Andrew staggered but shifted his weight to his other leg to avoid collapsing. The chain between the two small cannonballs wrapped tightly around his leg. Blacksword looked down then looked back up, his face mirroring your exasperation. "Is that it?"

The grin on Will's face only grew despite the pain it caused. "That's it," he confirmed. He didn't even try to move; he had used everything he had in him and there was nothing left. His strength had given out; it had taken all of his energy to take the chain shot and break Blacksword's leg.

Anger flashed through Black Andrew's face. "You little… whelp. I'm going to kill you, slowly. You will feel pain like never before."

"You've said all that before; besides, I'm all set to die." His smile didn't fade, "Do you know why it's called hell? Because I'll be there waiting for you, and I'll make your eternity miserable."

He drew his sword and pointed it at the young blacksmith. "I'm going to repeat myself, you're dead." He stepped forward, keeping his weight to his good leg. There was no way Will could escape from him; the boy was at his mercy.

"And allow me to reiterate myself, so… are… you."

* * *

Jack hit the water and bobbed back up, sputtering. His shock was indescribable. "That little bastard, he… Will, I'm going to kill you". He felt his fear and sorrow as it tried to force itself to the surface.

His eyes quickly scanned the side of the Assassin, searching for a way up. "Damn it Will. What were you thinking?" He was more scared than he could admit. To go through all this, only to lose his friend now… it was unthinkable.

"Ah, shit," he hissed as he realized there was no way for him to get up. "Not good."

"Captain?" a voice suddenly asked. "What are you doing in the water?"

Turning, Jack looked in surprise at Miguel and Jackie. The two were in a small lifeboat and both were staring at him as he continued to tread water.

Sighing, Jack swam over to the boat and hauled himself out of the water. He flopped down in the boat, dripping water everywhere. "It's a long story," he said shortly. It was also clear he was frustrated by it, whatever it was.

"Captain Sparrow, where's my dad? I saw him, so where is he?"

"Uh," Jack hesitated, unsure of what to say. He had never felt quite so awkward. "Wait, how did you find out?"

Looking exasperated, Jackie said, "I already told you, I saw him. Where is he?"

Another deep sigh slipped from Jack; he pointed over to the Assassin. "Will's on-"

At that moment a sharp explosion ripped through the air. The waves nearly capsized the small boat, but it was only after that that horror stopped Jack's heart. The Assassin was gone, leaving behind only it's burning debris.

"-that ship," Jack finished numbly, staring at what had once been the Assassin. He almost couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. "No," he managed hoarsely.

Miguel had a similar look of horror on his face. "Captain, I'm sure he… wasn't on there."

Jackie was silent; his dark brown eyes huge. He seemed numb, or frozen to the spot. The boy didn't even blink.

'He knew,' Jack thought to himself in anguish. "He knew the Assassin was set to explode. That's why he got me off. Damn it, why didn't he jump ship as well?"

Lost in thought as he was, he almost didn't hear the sounds of sputtering as someone's head broke the surface. Jack spun and his eyes narrowed as they fell upon the man.

Without a second thought, Jack dove off the small boat. "Captain, what-?" Miguel began, then he spotted the other.

A second later, another explosion filled the relative silence. The resulting waves pushed Jack under but he swam quickly back to the surface. He glanced uneasily back to where the Hornet Dragon had been, and was only partially surprised to find it gone as well.

He felt slightly guilty for causing the death of all those Japanese men, but it was nothing like the all encompassing grief and guilt of knowing Will had been aboard the Assassin.

Swimming slowly up to Blacksword, Jack didn't bother to hide his bitter hatred. Blood ran down his face, mixing with the water. Fortunately, in Jack's mind, the other pirate had not escaped the explosion unharmed.

Black Andrew was pale as he struggled to keep afloat and his leg throbbed. The chain shot still wrapped around his leg was slowly dragging him under.

Blacksword barely even glanced up at Jack, though he knew the pirate was furious. It took all of his energy to keep his head above water and there was no way for him to keep the pain from his green eyes.

"Looks like you powers have failed you," Jack said coldly. His anger towards this man was barely controlled.

"Pluto can be a deceiver. All he wanted was an innocent soul; I wanted you. When I refrained from killing both Turners to achieve my ends - in other words, killing you - he grew frustrated with me. Now, he has taken what he wanted for himself and all but abandoned me."

Jack's eyes hardened cruelly, "You didn't get anything you didn't deserve. In fact, by my book, you deserve a lot worse."

No answer came because he was pulled under, then a few seconds later, he managed to drag himself back to the surface.

"I should kill you," Jack said, hatred beginning to get the better of him. No matter how much he enjoyed seeing this man suffer and struggle, he would enjoy seeing him dead better.

"Go ahead, but let it be known that if you do, you'll have destroyed what your friend risked his life to set up."

Blinking, Jack asked, "What the hell do you mean?"

"Your friend set up this death for me. He wanted to see me drown, slowly. If you kill me, you'll ruin that."

As he continued to tread water, Jack considered it. What Black Andrew said was true, but…

"Although, it is poetic justice, I suppose. He set me up to drown, and then the same fate became his. And wasn't it the sea that claimed his father?"

Jack stared at Blacksword, mind thinking a hundred things at once. Why hadn't he realized that? If Blacksword had survived the blast, what stopped Will from doing the same? And if Will had survived, then he would be in the water, and if he was in the water, with his broken shoulder…

"I did my final job," Blacksword said with a grin. "By now, he's dead." As he finished, he lost the struggle to stay above the water and slipped below the surface and sank to the depths of the sea.

Jack didn't bother to listen or watch as Black Andrew slowly drowned. He dove under the water, eyes searching the clear water desperately for any sign of his best friend. Finally, he spotted the young blacksmith. The other man was unconscious and slowly going deeper into the depths.

Condemning thoughts rolled through Jack as he swam towards his friend. He had kept Elizabeth from drowning when he had first met her; he had recently kept their son from drowning, now if only his luck would hold out.

His lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen, but he couldn't surface. He had to get to Will, now. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of his friend. Turning upwards, he began to swim towards the surface. He thought he felt a chill radiating from Will's skin, but he refused to accept that.

When his head finally broke the surface, he gasped desperately trying to fill his body's need for oxygen. He felt almost dizzy. If he had been underwater much longer, he would have drowned.

Jack realized that both Miguel and Jackie were staring at him in concern from the lifeboat. With a sigh, the pirate swam over to the side, heaved Will into it, and then hauled himself in. He flopped down inside the boat, breathing heavily and dripping water everywhere.

"Captain Sparrow?" Jackie asked, eyeing his unconscious father. "Is my dad okay?"

Warily, Jack nodded, "Yeah. He'll be fine."

"Uh, Captain?" Miguel began uncertainly, using Spanish to cover what he was saying. "I wouldn't say that."

Alarmed, Jack looked over at the other. Miguel was kneeling over Will's unconscious body.

Miguel continued, still in Spanish to avoid worrying the eight-year-old, "He's not breathing. His heart's not even beating anymore,"

"What?" Jack shrieked. In less than a second, he was off his back and on his knees beside Will. Miguel backed away and sat back next to Jackie, who still didn't know what was going on. The Spaniard gently put an arm around the boy and pulled him close against him.

The little boy stared in absolute horror at his unresponsive father. He was completely numb, even though he didn't know _exactly_ what was going on.

Miguel held the child tightly; fearful of what would happen to both the boy and his captain when Will died. The Spaniard was dismayed to find himself thinking of _when_ Will died instead of _if_.

Rocking back so he was resting on his heels, Jack began to panic anew. He couldn't scream the hundreds of things he was thinking for fear of alarming Jackie. Will's skin was just as cold as it had been in the water. 'Oh God… why? This can't… be happening.'

Hands on the young blacksmith's chest, Jack's mind spun, desperately trying to think of something, anything, that could help his friend at the moment.

Finally his consciousness latched onto a thought that had lain buried for a while. He had once heard of a way to get air into a body that wasn't breathing but… he wasn't sure if he could do it.

He didn't have a choice; it was the only possible way he could think of to help his young friend. Will was _not_ going to like this- at least he wouldn't if he knew it was happening.

Bracing himself, the pirate captain leaned over Will. He took a deep breath and- steeling his resolve- he sealed his mouth over Will's and exhaled. The young man's chest rose as the air forced his lungs to expand.

For a split second, he was unsure of what to do about the blacksmith's heart, but he had an idea. He pushed down hard on his sternum, twice, while attempting to replicate the beating of the other man's heart.

Breaking the contact, he took another deep breath and again filled the young man's lungs. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that if this had been anyone else- except maybe a beautiful woman- he wouldn't be doing this.

Jack was scared; Will was still cold and completely unresponsive. Again and again, he alternated between breathing for Will and pushing hard on his abdomen for his heart. He simply would not give up; he _could not_ give up. The pirate cared too much about the young blacksmith to let him go.

"Captain… he's dead. Just give it up," Miguel said quietly. He still spoke in his native tongue to keep from alarming Jackie. "There's nothing you can do."

Jack ignored the pirate. He couldn't just give up. Will simply _couldn't_ be dead. It wasn't possible. He continued to take deep breaths, breathe into Will, and press hard against the other's chest. It was slightly unnerving to feel his friend's ribs shift under his hands, the same way it was disturbing to feel the broken bone in his friend's shoulder.

The pirate captain felt tears begin to well up in his eyes. "Will…" He wouldn't give up. He _couldn't_ give up. Taking another deep breath, he again exhaled into his friend. It was something he was unaccustomed to, and he had been dead serious when he had realized that he would never be doing this for _anyone_ else- especially another guy.

Suddenly, Will's body spasmed and he started coughing up lungfuls of water. Jack flinched away from his friend in surprise, but was instantly there again the moment the shock wore off.

For a second, Will's dark brown eyes had fluttered open. They met Jack's for a split second and a small smile flickered across his face before unconsciousness claimed him, again.

Jack finally started crying, but it was in pure relief instead of sadness. He couldn't stop his body as it quivered uncontrollably.

The pirate became suddenly aware of a small body holding onto him. He glanced over and saw Jackie holding him tightly and crying hard against him.

"Thank you," the child managed in between sobs.

"For what?"

The boy looked up in surprise. "You saved my dad's life."

"I almost cost him his life."

"But you didn't."

"No," Jack almost smiled as the boy said that. "I didn't."

With a slight grin, Jackie hugged the pirate fiercely. "Thank you," he whispered again. Then he gently released him. "Captain Sparrow," he said uncertainly as he scooted back to Miguel, "I'm glad you're my dad's best friend."

Once the boy had returned to Miguel, Jack looked down once more at Will. His friend's unmoving form lay dripping water and blood onto the bottom of the small boat.

On impulse, Jack pulled Will onto his lap, cradling the younger man against him. He couldn't control the soft shuddering that racked his body. The pure adrenaline that rushed through his veins was finally starting to wear off as his fear of losing his best friend died down.

He gently placed his hand on Will's chest so he could feel the beating of his friend's heart. Every couple of beats the young blacksmith's heart would skip once or twice. Despite the fact that no one was posing an immediate threat to Will's life, Jack still couldn't control the slight fear of Will's heart stopping again.

Jack's caramel brown eyes remained fixed on Will; he couldn't help it. A few weeks ago, he had thought he would never see his friend again. That he was now here, Will was alive and in his arms… he had never dreamed of it. Slowly, his body's shuddering subsided.

His right arm started to fall asleep, but he couldn't move it. It was supporting Will and holding the younger man against his body.

With a soft sigh, he lowered his head, letting it rest on Will's. Once again, it was comforting to be able to hear the blacksmith's breathing- labored and uneven as it was- because it told him that Will was still alive.

Despite all that he had done, Jack knew that there was still a very large chance that Will would die. The facts scared him but there was nothing he could do. If he couldn't find somewhere to take Will where it would be easier to deal with his wounds then the young man would surely die.

He became aware of a soft shivering. As he became aware again he realized Will was shuddering convulsively. Alarm flashed through his awareness. His head snapped up and he looked to Miguel. He was surprised to find Jackie asleep against the Spaniard.

"Miguel," he hissed. "Miguel!"

The man looked up. "Captain? What's wrong?" His dark eyes were full of concern.

"Will, he…" Jack hesitated, unsure of how to describe what was wrong.

The pirate obviously understood though, because he turned his attention to Will. After a second, he asked, "Is there anything else wrong that you see?"

"Other than the actual injuries?" Jack asked almost sarcastically. Miguel glared in exasperation. "What do I need to look for?"

There was a pause in which Miguel thought for a second. "Just tell me anything."

Jack let his fingers run along Will's skin. "Well he's… almost cold. Not quite, but… he's not warm."

"Is his skin clammy?"

"Yes."

Concern filled Miguel's face. "It would be much easier if I could see for myself, but I don't want to wake up Jackie."

The fear on Miguel's face worried Jack. So did Will. The way Will was shivering and the fact that his skin was cool and clammy, it scared him. Something was wrong and he knew it, he just didn't know quite what.

"What do you think is wrong?" Jack asked quietly.

Miguel's eyes were focused on Will. 'I'm not sure, at least not now. Just tell me if you notice anything else."

Slowly nodding, Jack turned his attention back to Will. By this time, his right arm was completely numb. Supporting Will constantly had made him lose all feeling in his arm. He was unwilling to let Will go. Since the young blacksmith's heart had already stopped once, he was unwilling to risk I stopping a second time without him knowing.

Jack couldn't repress the shudder that shot through him. He knew for a fact that if he couldn't find someplace safe to take Will, it was all over. 'How the hell am I supposed to get us out of this? We're stuck in a life boat with next to no chance of being found.'

He groaned; he didn't enjoy being responsible for Will and Jackie's lives in the way he was. 'Damn it, if we don't get found soon, we're all going to die.' It was one thing to trust his own life to luck, but something else entirely to trust another's to luck.

Once again, his attention was drawn to Will's shuddering body. 'Come on, Will,' he thought. 'You've got to hang in there. Please don't give up.'

TBC

And now I've stuck them in a rowboat. Well now you know why I had to introduce the Japanese pirates. Couldn't blow up Jack's pride and joy could I? Though there's no telling what shape he'll be getting it back in. IF he gets it back. Mwahahaha!

Okay, I'm done now.


	15. Commodors & Pirates

I am SO, SO, SO sorry it took me so long to update. Every time I thought I'd be able to update my family would have something we had to do and then when we weren't going anywhere, I had tons of homework. The curse of AP classes… Curse you Fitzgerald, and your little book, The Great Gatsby, too.

I really hope this chapter was worth all ya'lls wait and that the next chapter won't take as long to get up.

**Smithy** – Poor Will is one way to put it. And I'm glad you liked the CPR bit. Hopefully you'll like this too.

**Numen** – Dramatic. Ha! I have achieved the level of DRAMATIC! Sorry, I'm in a really good mood today, and the fact that I have so many reviews only makes me even happier. So thanks for the review and PLEASE review again. #puppy dog pout# Please?

**Silverpaw** – I'm sorry you had to wait so long. Hopefully you'll like this one. At least this cliffie wasn't as bad as some of the others, right?

**Madame Opera Ghost** – Hope I updated soon enough to avoid walking the plank. Besides, if I go overboard, you and everyone else won't know how this turns out. Hopefully that will keep me safe for a while.

**Daphnebandweenie** – Mid-terms are coming up. Blegh. Hopefully I'll finish typing my one shot soon. Man, I'm uber sun-burned. I'm sitting here in blistered agony. As my dad put it, I almost have a bum bum. How pathetic is that?

**MagRowan** – I find it weird that BlackSword is similar to a character I've never seen before. Oh well, bad guys do tend to write themselves. And I know about the slash warning, but someone asked about it earlier, so I thought I'd make a warning. And yes, friendship between two guys is the best. Hope you like this chapter.

**Sanquinedarkness666** – He needs the band-aid. And if you sick Fred on me, I'll sick Conner on you. Wow. It's sad. Our instruments have names. And as soon as I get my one-shot up, you'll see that your "Row, Row, Row You're Boat" made it in.

**Williz** – Maybe I should just have Jack give you CPR… Hey, it could work! Cool! I rock! And it made me all warm and bubbly when you said you nearly cried. That means I'm doing my job. Hope you like this part.

**Dancin** – Wow, your praise just made my day. Now I've got a big head. And yeah, I knew you were joking. It made me all happy inside. Okay, let's see. Don't kill Will, Jackie, and Elizabeth. I've made a note on it. Doesn't guarantee anything, but I've made a note. Hope this chapter is enjoyable.

**SpufFan** – It's up, it's up! Calm down. I don't need any reviewers to suffer a heart-attack. And about the challenge, to be perfectly honest, I've never seen Buffy. Never. Yeah, I know I've live a sheltered life. I've never even sen any of the Bond movies, Austin Powers OR any of the Godfather movies. Yeah, I know it's sad. Sorry I couldn't help, but I hope you like this chapter.

**Hawkstra - **Nope, couldn't make it that easy for them. Haha! Yes, I know I'm mean. Anyways, have fun with this chapter.

Okay, you guys have waited long enough for this chapter, so no more small talk. Onward!

**---------------------**

**BlackSword**

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**Chapter 15**

There was a pause in the near constant pulsing under his hand, a pause longer than normal. Jack snapped awake, at first unsure of what had awaken him. He realized that Will's heart had skipped several beats, a few beats more than it previously had. Fear began to fill him but died down once Will's heart began to beat in time again.

Sighing in quiet relief, Jack looked up. It was almost night and light was quickly waning. His eyes drifted over to Miguel and Jackie. He almost grinned. Jackie was still sound asleep, curled up against Miguel. Miguel had also dozed off, head resting on Jackie's. The boy's dirty blonde hair was in the Spaniard's face, but the sleeping man didn't notice.

Will still hadn't regained consciousness nor had he stopped shivering. Jack let his left hand gently tap Will on the chest. It wouldn't wake him up or cause further harm, but it did help ease Jack's anxiety.

Quickly looking his friend over again, Jack couldn't help but notice that the blacksmith's health had deteriorated severely. On top of being almost cold and clammy, the young man's skin had turned several shades paler. More disturbing was the way his breathing had grown ragged and even shallower.

"Will…" he whispered softly in concern. He gently let his hand brush across Will's pale face. "Come on, Will. Hang in there. Just a little longer, then we'll be able to get you some place safe."

It was a flat lie, but it didn't matter. Will couldn't hear him and it made him feel better. The possibility that Will could slowly die in his arms and he wouldn't be able to do anything, scared him.

"J… Jack." The voice startled Jack and he looked down at the unconscious body he held. To his surprise, Will hadn't regained consciousness but seemed to be caught in some form of a dream, if that was what it could be called. A soft, pained whimper escaped Will and Jack noticed for the first time that the young blacksmith's lips had taken on a frightening blue tint.

"Shit," he hissed to himself. "Miguel!" He called as loud as he dared, unwilling to wake the sleeping eight-year-old. "Miguel!" When that didn't work, Jack lightly kicked the other pirate on the bottom of his boot. "Miguel!"

The Spaniard snapped awake. He blinked sleepily as he tried to make his eyes adjust. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Something's wrong with Will," Jack quietly told him. "He's gotten worse."

"How?" Miguel demanded. He gently placed one arm around Jackie, holding the boy against him.

"His heart's skipping more frequently now, and his breathing's gotten more shallow. He's really pale, and his lips have turned blue. And he's still trembling."

The concern on Miguel's face grew deeper. "This is not good. I'd been hoping we'd be somewhere we could take better care of him."

"Why? What's wrong?" Jack's voice was edged in panic.

Black eyes flickered sadly. "He's gone into shock from his injuries."

"Shock?" Jack repeated. "Don't tell me, if we don't do something soon, it could turn fatal." There was bitterness in his voice that Miguel understood.

Miguel nodded grimly. "I'm sorry, Captain. I wish there was something we…" the Spaniard trailed off, eyes widening. "Captain! Look!" He pointed over Jack's shoulder.

Jack glanced over his shoulder. There, on the backdrop of the setting sun, was a ship, slowly growing larger. His eyes grew huge and he looked back to Miguel, hope showing on his face. "Do you think they'll see us?"

"Well, if we can see them, they should be able to see us. Especially if they have a telescope."

Arms tightening instinctively around Will, Jack couldn't stop the growing wave of excitement that was filling him. 'Oh please, God, let them see us.'

Miguel remained fixed on the ship. "It's getting closer. I think they've seen us, and… oh damn."

Jack's heart dropped, "What?"

It's part of the Royal Navy. We're pirates, and we're dead."

A quiet sigh escaped Jack. "Maybe _we're_ dead, but this may be best for Will and Jackie."

Miguel stared at him in confusion. "How?"

"Will and Jackie are citizens they're bound to protect. They may execute us, but they'll take care of those two."

Miguel snorted in disbelief, "Bull shit!" Jack stared in surprise. "Have you forgotten, Captain? Your friend is branded; they'll execute him just like they will us. The one person they'll protect is the kid." He nodded to the child asleep against him.

With that, Jack's heart sank to the pit of his stomach. Looking sadly down, the hope he had been feeling faded. Staring into Will's pale, bloody face, he felt sick. How could everything have gone so far downhill? "Wait…" he said suddenly.

"We don't have long to wait," pointed out Miguel. "They'll be here in less than half-an-hour. Probably more like twenty minutes."

"They can't execute Will!" Jack said rather abruptly. His caramel eyes met Miguel's. "They legally can't."

Staring, the Spanish man asked, "Captain Sparrow? What are you talking about?"

"Trust me, I know their laws fairly well. Will's injuries will prevent them from hurting him. If anything, they'll be forced to help him recover."

"And once he recovers, then they'll execute him."

Glaring, Jack ground out, "I was hoping not to think of that." Turning slightly, he looked over his shoulder. "Hey! I know that ship!" he exclaimed in surprise. "It's the Dauntless!"

"The Dauntless, Captain?" Miguel questioned.

"It's based in Port Royal. The Commodore was… say, once a suitor of Elizabeth. He was even her fiancé, but she chose Will."

Miguel's eyes widened, "Uh, don't you think he'll be slightly sore at your friend?"

Nervousness flickered through his eyes. "I don't know, I-"

"Well, well. Captain Sparrow, I must say I'm highly surprised to see you."

Jack plastered a large drunken smile on his face and he turned to face the man. "Hello Norrington. Fancy meeting you here."

Norrington didn't seem thrilled to see the pirate. "Sparrow, might I ask where your ship is and why are you in a rowboat?"

"That's a… a long story," he said uncertainly. "Do you think we could possibly discuss this on board the Dauntless?"

This surprise on Norrington's face was clear. "Do you think I'll permit pirates free roam through the Dauntless?"

"Norrington-"

"Commodore," Norrington corrected.

"Commodore, I… I beg you. Let us aboard the Dauntless. You can lock Miguel and I in the brig, but let us on board."

Eyes narrowing, Norrington questioned, "There are more of you?" Obviously, he hadn't yet seen Will or Jackie- who was still asleep.

"Is that Captain Sparrow?" a new voice asked in surprise.

Jack cocked his head; he knew that voice, he simply couldn't remember from where. As he struggled to remember, his arms tightened around Will.

"Captain Sparrow, have you completed my task yet?"

His caramel eyes widened, "Commodore… Higsby?"

The Commodore pushed his way through the growing crowd gathering at the side of the Dauntless. "Well?"

Jack nodded, "Blacksword is dead."

"What about Turner? Did you find the child?"

Nodding again, Jack said, "Yeah, the kid's here. We got him about… a month ago."

Higsby continued to press the pirate captain. "Why didn't you come back sooner?"

Norrington interrupted quickly, "Are you telling me you hired _him_?"

"Excuse me," Jack called up. "Please, it's slightly important that we got aboard the ship."

Sighing, Higsby and Norrington looked at each other, attempting to decide what to do. Finally, he turned and ordered the crew to get ropes and pass them down.

"Sparrow, you said you had a Turner with you? Where and which one?" Norrington demanded.

"I have two. Both Will and Jackie are here."

Norrington let his surprise show, "Will and Jackie? I don't see either."

Miguel gently elbowed Jackie, waking the child up.

"What's going on?" the boy asked groggily. He blinked, trying to focus his eyes.

His brown eyes slowly focused on the Dauntless. "Hey, that's Commodore Norrington's ship!" he exclaimed.

Upon hearing the child's voice, the Commodore smiled. He then turned serious, "Captain Sparrow, are you ready to be brought up?"

"Ready and waiting," Jack replied.

It took Norrington and Higsby's crew several minutes to pull the small boat up high enough for its passengers to get off.

Jackie stood, looking helplessly up. He wasn't quite tall enough to be able to pull himself onto the larger ship.

Noticing the boy's problem, Miguel picked the boy up and passed him to one of Norrington's crew.

"Take the boy and put him somewhere so he can sleep."

Already shaking his head, Jackie protested, "But I've already been sleeping. I don't want to go."

Higsby and Norrington looked to Jack. Some thing in the pirate's eyes told them it would be best if Jackie did go. The Commodores nodded to one of the crewmembers, who gently dragged the unwilling child away.

Miguel glanced over at his captain. "You go ahead. I'll pass him to you."

Slowly nodding, Jack handed his friend's unconscious body to the Spaniard. Pulling himself onto the Dauntless, the pirate captain turned back. He didn't care what Norrington, Higsby, or their crew thought; his main concern was Will's well-being.

Miguel gently passed the young blacksmith's unresponsive body up to his captain. As he took Will from Miguel, Jack carefully lowered his friend to the deck, lying him down.

Both Higsby and Norrington gasped as they took in the bloody appearance of the young man. "Oh God," Norrington breathed. He looked accusingly at Jack. "Sparrow, what did you do to him?"

Jack's head snapped up, "I didn't do shit! I saved his life." His voice betrayed the fact that the commodore's accusation had deeply hurt him. He looked down at Will and shivered slightly.

"Like hell you did," Higsby muttered. Jack heard but chose to ignore the comment; only his eyes darkened.

Miguel pulled himself aboard the Dauntless then knelt down beside Will.

Jack looked over at the Spanish man. "Miguel, do you think he'll be okay?"

Shrugging, Miguel answered, "I don't know."

"If you didn't do it, Sparrow, then who did?" Norrington questioned.

"Blacksword," Jack said shortly. Most of his attention was focused on Will and Norrington was lucky the captain was answering him. "So what do you think Miguel?"

Miguel sighed. "I don't know," he said again. "I'd have to check. "

Nodding, he bent down and quickly undid Will's bloody ragged shirt. He winced as he saw his friend's chest. In everything that had happened, he had never imagined the extent of Will's injuries. Unfortunately, it wasn't just the blacksmith's chest, but his abdomen as well.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Jack ran his hand along his friend's chest, feeling the numerous knife wounds. He glanced up at Miguel, fear in his eyes.

"This is bad, Captain Sparrow," Miguel whispered. The Spaniard glanced up at the two commodores that were watching, then back to Will. "Look at this," he said, indicating the knife wounds. "I… I really don't see how he's still alive."

Alarm flickered through Jack's eyes. "What do you mean?"

Gently touching a few of the worst of the young man's injuries, Miguel said, "With this many stab wounds, I'd say it's just about impossible none of his organs are severely injured." With a sigh he continued, "And there is no way we can do anything about the blood he's lost."

"How much had he lost? Is it dangerous?" Jack questioned uncertainly

Miguel's eyes darkened, "Let me put it this way, if we don't stop his blood loss- and take care of his other injuries- then he's going to die."

"You can take him into my quarters," Norrington offered. "If you need to help, the doctor aboard will aid you."

Looking up, Jack's caramel eyes met the Commodore's blue-green ones. "Th… thank you, Norrington." The look of gratitude in the pirate's eyes made Norrington feel more than uncomfortable.

Miguel was about to turn Will over so he could check his back when Jack stopped him. "Don't," he said, putting his hand on the Spaniard's arm. Confusion filled his black eyes and he stared at his captain. "Be careful; his shoulder is broken, and so are several of his ribs."

"This isn't working," Miguel said. "Captain Sparrow, we need to get him inside so I can help him."

Quickly nodding, Jack carefully picked Will back up. He glanced over to Norrington.

The Commodore led Jack and Miguel into the Dauntless and to his quarters. Higsby followed closely behind. "Here," he opened the door and indicated the small room. He stepped aside, letting Jack pass him.

Miguel couldn't help but feel depressed. He couldn't find it in himself to tell his captain that he doubted he would be able to save his friend.

Friends… so complicated a thing. Friendship could be the only reason for living for some one day, and the reason for dying the next. His own feelings of grief about Paul's death burned inside of him. The only reason he was able to focus was because he didn't want his captain to feel the same pain.

His eyes searched Jack's face, for what, he wasn't quite sure. Things could be much easier if he could see that Jack would be okay with Will's death, but at the moment, he was more afraid than ever of Captain Sparrow's reaction.

"Miguel," Jack called, snapping the Spaniard out of his thoughts.

"Yes, Captain," he said, moving to Jack's side.

"So… what do we do?" Jack asked. "First, I mean?"

Sighing, Miguel said, "First, I'd say we do his ribs- we'll also check his organs. Then, we should set his shoulder."

"What about the bullet?"

"What bullet?" Miguel demanded. Gunshot injuries were highly dangerous.

"One of Blacksword's crew shot him in the upper arm," Jack told the other pirate.

"Then we'll remove it after we set his shoulder."

Miguel forced Jack to meet his eyes, "Captain, if you don't want to stay through this, I can do it on my own."

Shaking his head fiercely, Jack said, "No, I won't leave him. Not now, not after everything that's happened." Despite what he said, the thought of watching Miguel do what he had to do made him feel sick.

Noticing the look on Jack's face, Miguel slowly nodded. "Captain, do you have a knife?"

The pirate captain nodded slowly and pulled his knife from his belt. Reluctantly , he handed it to the other.

Taking the knife, Miguel turned away from Jack and took a deep breath. He let the knife hover for a second, but he lowered it again. "Commodore, does your on board doctor have medical supplies I can borrow?"

"Of course," Norrington said. He turned and ran out of the room to find the medic.

A shaky breath escaped Miguel and his hand trembled as it held the knife. It wouldn't be as difficult if Jack hadn't been watching.

Steeling his resolve, the Spaniard raised the knife again and let the tip rest on Will's abdomen, immediately under his solar plexus. Steadying the trembling of his arm, Miguel held his breath and pushed the blade in as quickly as possible.

Jack flinched and he felt an even stronger shudder pass through Will's body. His hand tightened uncontrollably on his friend's good arm. Despite everything he had seen and gone through, the most disturbing thing was, by far, this. It was very hard for him to stay through this.

Miguel quickly drew the knife down, almost to the base of the young man's stomach. If ever he had hated doing his job, it was now. Will had gone through enough already, he didn't deserve anything else happening to him.

Slipping quietly back into the room, Norrington was being followed closely by the on board medic. Miguel glanced up, eyes seeking out the other doctor. "Do you have anything I can use to set his ribs?"

Jack slowly swallowed and averted his eyes. If he paid attention, he would be sick. Letting his mind wander, he drifted off into the dark recesses of his mind.

Someone shaking him gently brought him back into reality. As his eyes regained focus, he realized it was Miguel.

"Captain, I need your help," he was saying.

Nodding, Jack couldn't help looking over Will. The young man's abdomen was now wrapped in temporarily clean bandages. The pirate captain knew that soon the bandages would be soaked through but he was glad for it. He no longer had to see the deep cut running along his stomach.

"What do you need?" Jack asked, carefully keeping the quaver out of his voice.

"I need your help to set his shoulder," answered Miguel, watching his captain closely.

Nodding, Jack waited for his crewman to tell him what to do.

"I need you to hold him down." Noticing the confused look on Jack's face, he elaborated, "If anything is going to cause him to regain consciousness, this is it."

Placing his hands firmly yet gently on his friend's chest, Jack ground his teeth together. He didn't want to do this, not at all.

Letting his hands hover over Will's shoulder, Miguel hesitated. Finally he took hold of it and snapped the bone into place as quickly as possible.

Jack felt Will's body tense and flinch, but he was shocked when the blacksmith's eyes flew open, accompanied by a sharp, pain-filled gasp.

The young man instantly began to struggle, not recognizing where he was or whom he was with. Jack pressed Will down, trying desperately to keep him from hurting himself or others. "Will, Will, calm down. It's okay. It's okay," he quickly said.

Will's breath was coming in fast, ragged gasps. His eyes were clouded and unfocused, merely huge and full of terror. "Don't… please… Jack," he whimpered in between his hitched breathing.

"It's okay, Will. It's over," Jack quietly reassured him. He tried to ignore the looks Commodore Norrington and Commodore Higsby were giving him.

Slowly, Will's dark brown eyes cleared and locked onto Jack. "Jack?" he questioned weakly. "What…?"

"Sorry about that," the pirate captain apologized, "but Miguel had to set your shoulder."

"Is…-"

"Blacksword's dead," Jack interrupted before Will could finish. "Because of you."

A slight smile flickered across Will's bloody face. His breathing had slowed down, back to a normal pace. "Will, if you can, I would suggest you lose consciousness again. I don't think you're going to want to feel this," Jack said.

The concern and slight fear in Will's eyes made Jack smile reassuringly.

"We have to remove the bullet from your arm, so it might be best if… if you aren't awake."

Blinking slowly, Will whimpered, "Do you… honestly think… I have control… over that?"

Pressing his lips together, Jack forced a second smile. "You're right."

Miguel cleared his throat, catching their attention. "I need to remove the bullet," he pointed out.

Will tensed underneath Jack's hands. Fear had now filled his eyes completely and his shivering, which had stopped, came back even stronger.

Tearing his caramel eyes from his friend, Jack looked at Miguel. "Don't." Miguel stopped in confusion. "I'll do it."

"Captain, are you sure," Miguel questioned uncertainly.

Nodding slowly, Jack repeated, "I'll do it." Breathing deeply, he turned back to Will. "Are you okay with this

Ragged gaps continued to escape the blacksmith. "Do I have any other choice?" he asked almost sarcastically. His voice cracked and it took much of his control not to pause while talking.

"Not really," Jack told him.

After a second, Will nodded.

"Do you have a problem with me doing this?"

Shaking his head slowly to keep from sending waves of nausea through himself, Will couldn't help wincing, and Jack couldn't help but notice.

"Are you sure?" Jack pressed.

"Jack…" Will said. If he hadn't been in so much pain, his voice would have been sharp. "Just get it over with."

Swallowing hard, Jack forced down his fear. He realized just how difficult it must have been for Miguel to do what he had done, and now that he had to do something… he didn't think he could.

Will's heavy breathing was almost the only sound now in the small room. Bracing himself, Jack placed the knife on Will's arm. His eyes closed slightly and he gently took hold of Will's hand with his empty one.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you, Will, but I need you to at least try to tighten the muscle in your upper arm. I know it's going to hurt like hell, but this will help in the long run," Jack said.

The young man's eyes closed and suddenly his right hand tightened on Jack's. The pain written on his face was clear. It came from not only the bullet wound, but the broken shoulder as well; the tightening of the muscle only further aggravated the bone.

Jack could feel Will's body as it continued to tremble, making things even more difficult. Finally, Jack couldn't find any other excuse to stop himself, so he quickly pushed the tip of his knife into his friend's arm.

He almost jumped as a ragged, pained scream slipped from Will and the blacksmith's hand tightened instinctively Jack's.

Miguel shook his head sympathetically. He understood how difficult it must be for Jack to do this. Another scream escaped his captain's friend, causing everyone- Norrington and Higsby included- to flinch.

Slowly, Jack dug the knife deeper in until he felt it scrape against the bullet. Abruptly, Will's hand released his grip on Jack and his eyes lost their focus as consciousness fled him.

Fear shot through Jack, but he forced it down and continued to attempt to dig the bullet from Will's arm. Finally, he got the blade of the knife under the bullet and he forced it out.

Jack could no longer stop his own body from trembling. 'I'm not doing that ever again,' he told himself fiercely, 'not ever.'

"Captain?" Miguel asked uncertainly. When Jack looked at him, he continued. "If you would like, I'll watch after him and you go rest for a while and come back later. If that's all right with Commodore Norrington and Commodore Higsby."

Shaking his head, Jack replied, "No, I'm fine. You go and make sure Jackie's doing what he's supposed to. After that… do what Norrington tells you… and don't get in trouble."

The Spaniard didn't look happy, but he nodded anyway. What else could he do?

He was about to leave, but Jack stopped him. "Miguel… do you think he'll be okay, now?"

Miguel shrugged slightly. "I honestly don't know. He shouldn't have lived this long, so… I don't know. It's just up to him know… and the Lord."

"And luck," Jack put in.

"Yes, and luck," Miguel agreed, "if you believe in it."

TBC


	16. About Time Something Went Our Way

Hello lovely people! Sorry these last couple of chapters have been so long in coming but I've been really busy with school and sorts of other crap. Hope you can all forgive me!

Okay since you've waited long enough for this, I'll just answer your reviews then get on with the story. No extra jibber-jabber.

**Captain Sarah Sparrow **– Well I guess that means my descriptions are up to par! Thanks for the review. It made me happy!

**Numen **– Sorry the update took so long. Hope that last part wasn't too disgusting. This part should be a little tamer.

**Dancin **– Okay you get a cookie. Your review just made all my troubles go away. Poof! They're gone! Here we go with the next chapter.

**Daphnebandweenie** – "The psycho I had for a friend in school"? Oh that's real nice. tear Oh well. Yay! I've already passed off. I'm done until after Thanksgiving. Yay!

**SpufFan** – I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I SOOOOO SORRY! Hope I didn't aggravate your "condition" too much. Well, I hope this chapter helps to sooth your traumatized soul. And you're not a spaz. You're just fun.

**Williz **– "Best story ever," huh? Cool! Yes, Norry's here. Ya know, for some reason whenever I think about him I want to drench him and see what he'd look like with that powdered wig all soggy. But that's just me.

**Smithy **– Yes wound tending is good. And as far as the reunion goes… Well you'll just have to wait and see…

**MagRowan **– Yeah, he may not be one of my favorite characters, but he struck me as the sort of person who only wanted to do the right thing. And don't worry about Higsby. He won't cause problems. That's one thing I will tell you. And yes, that is the million dollar question. Where IS the Black Pearl? Haha! Wait and see.

**Sanquinedarkness666** - joins in the beating, using Conner why are we beating him with our band instruments, again? Yeah, getting closer to the end now. Probably about three chapters left. So sad.

**Madame Opera Ghost** – No! Don't kill me! If you do, you won't be able to find out what happens next!

**Pearl-MagicGirl** – Tears. Awww. Makes me feel like I'm doing something right. Yay! And thanks for the cookie. Here's the next chapter in return.

**Saharan Sparrow** – That's okay. Just glad you reviewed now. And I'm not making anyone any promises about Will. Mwahahaha!

**Trinilee Greenleaf** – A guitar? Cool! Now you can play the Top Gun anthem and that cool Power Rangers guitar solo. And yeah, that's one of the things I like to focus on, their inner feeling and all. It bothers some people but I'm glad you like it. Well… I'm not going to tell you if you have to follow through on your threat or not. I'm evil like that. But I hope you like this chapter.

**Hawkstra** – Glad you like the chapter. Hope I didn't mess up your clock too much with this late post. And yeah, I've though about a Star Wars fic. In fact, I have part of one up. But it was from back my seventh grade year, so it's pretty bad. But honestly, I'm more into the original trilogy characters, and the ones from the New Jedi Order series. Anyway, hope you like this chapter.

**Goma-Ryu Immortal Vampire** – No hablo inglés. Haha… Okay, lame joke. But basically it means I'm not telling anyone how this turns out.

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**BlackSword**

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**Chapter 16**

One Week Later

On one hand, Jack was thrilled because Will was still alive. On the other hand though, he was still worried because the young man hadn't seemed to get any better. Will would fade in and out of consciousness- unconsciousness more often than not- and in either state, he would mumble occasionally to himself, making Jack wonder if the young man was delirious.

"No… Jack," Will whimpered. While he was unconscious, Jack's name was one of the most common words Will would utter; unfortunately, it was normally accompanied by a string of curse words. "Damn you."

Jack sighed; Will wasn't conscious, but it still hurt, all the same, to hear Will say that. He couldn't control his desire for Will to wake up; then at least the insults would stop.

'So, Chris was right about what had been done to Will.' Indeed, the other man had been eerily precise about the injuries that the blacksmith had sustained.

About an hour or so after setting Will's shoulder, Miguel had treated the other numerous injuries that has threatened his life. Jack had been highly alarmed to see the just how seriously injured Will had been.

Pacing back and forth, Jack couldn't control all his emotions and he found himself from chewing on his lower lip. Anxiety was burning him up from the inside and he didn't have any way to relieve it. Commodore Norrington had repeatedly insisted that there was no rum or any other liquor on board the Dauntless, and that was what Jack most longed for.

That, and the Black Pearl. He realized that he had no idea where his ship was. After Yin Sao had taken them prisoner… he didn't have the faintest notion of what had been done to her. He would need to discuss that later with Norrington.

A soft groan told him that Will had… temporarily regained consciousness. "Will?" he asked softly as he turned around.

"Oh, God, it feels like… I have a hangover."

Jack's eyes widened and he couldn't help but laugh. He had never imagined hearing his friend say that. "How do you know what a hangover feels like?" he questioned. A few seconds later he remembered why, and he could have kicked himself for asking.

"I guarantee you, in the past… how long… has it been?" Will asked. He was still pale and having trouble breathing, but Jack was holding out the hope that since Will was still alive, he would remain that way.

"A little more than a month," Jack replied.

"In the past… month, I've had more hangovers… more than you have in the past… few years… A month!" It took Will slightly longer than Jack had expected to grasp the length of his imprisonment.

The shock in Will's pain-glazed dark brown eyes was hard to face. He nodded slowly, wishing he could say otherwise.

Dismay was clearly written on the blacksmith's face. "A … month?" he repeated.

"Anyway, what makes you think you have me beat?" Jack questioned, hoping to draw Will's attention to another subject. "You'll have to have been drunk just about every single day to have me topped."

At first, Will didn't say anything; he just smiled bitterly and nodded. After a second he added, "And I'm not counting… the aftereffects of the… drugs."

Wincing inwardly, Jack didn't let Will see how much that angered him. The idea of everything that the young man had suffered at the hands of Blacksword and his crew was painful. "I'm sorry," he finally apologized. "I'm so sorry."

Will blinked, "What… for?"

"I should have gotten there sooner. I never should have let it happen in the first place."

Sinking into a thoughtful silence, Will didn't comment. Something was tugging at his awareness; not totally related to what was going on, but…

"When we… were aboard the Assassin… you… called me… brother. Why?" he asked slowly and weakly.

At first, Jack was confused. When he had accidentally said that, he hadn't realized Will had heard him. He didn't even know why he had said that; Will was just his best friend. He didn't have any family- they had all died when he was a child- but maybe that was why. Will and Elizabeth were his closest- and only- real friends; possibly that had something to do with it.

"Uh, I really don't know," Jack admitted. "It just…happened. Strange thing was," he said almost to himself, voice dropping to a mumble, "that it felt right."

"What do you mean, felt… right?" Will pressed, once again catching Jack off guard.

Jack gave him a playful glare. "You're unconscious for almost a week, now you're asking more questions than the Royal Navy. I think I liked it better the other way." He then sighed, once again turning serious. "I really don't know how to explain it. It just felt… right, somewhere. I can't describe it."

A smile flickered across Will's face. "Some… pirate you are." He closed his eyes and took a deep, ragged breath, concentrating on remaining consciousness. Opening his eyes again, he remembered one other thing. "Jack… are you… okay?"

The change in topics caught him by surprise. "Of course," he answered slowly. "Why would I not?"

"Blacksword… he almost…" Will hesitated and swallowed hard. His hands balled into fists, but almost immediately unclenched. The flash of pain that had shot through his broken shoulder and upper arm had been intense and almost debilitating. "He almost… gutted you," he finally forced out. Tears began to well in his dark brown eyes, threatening to spill onto his bruised cheeks.

Jack was shocked. How could Will feel even remotely responsible for _anything_ that had happened? "Will, that wasn't your fault. If I hadn't abandoned you aboard the Assassin, none of this shit would have happened. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. Not yours."

Smiling around his pain and tears, Will corrected Jack, "You… didn't… abandon me."

Noticing that Will was beginning to fade, Jack decided to end the conversation. "Stop trying to make me feel better."

Before Will could respond he lost consciousness, and relative silence returned to the room.

Slowly, Jack looked away. Strange, in all the commotion and in his fear for Will's safety, he had completely forgotten about his own injuries. Carefully, he undid his dirty, white shirt so he could see the wound.

He winced as he saw the deep gash running from the base of his abdomen to his solar plexus. He almost felt nauseous as he looked upon the bloody, ragged cut. Now that he paid attention to the wound, he could feel a harsh burning accompanying it.

'Thanks Will, I needed to remember about this. I missed the pain,' he thought, unable to control his sarcasm.

Gently, he ran his hand along his stomach. It came away covered in blood. He would have to take care of it sooner or later, but he didn't feel like it at the moment, because something else was bothering him.

Why _had_ he called Will brother? He was no longer satisfied with the answer he had given Will. _Something_ in him had made him say that, so what had it been?

He would have to find a better answer soon, because next time, neither he nor Will would accept the answer he had just given.

'Why _did_ I call him brother?'

* * *

Norrington was pacing across the deck of the Dauntless, fidgeting uneasily. He had two pirates on board his ship, another who may as well be one, and a child who hardly listened to a word he said. How had he gotten into this?

He heard a soft sigh and he glanced over curiously. It was Jackie, and the eight-year-old was leaning against the railing of the ship.

"Jackie?" he asked, turning to face the boy, trying not to let his eyes give away his emotions. "Are you okay?"

"No," the boy answered despondently. He stared at the Commodore, dark brown eyes hard. "Why can't I see my dad?"

"Your father's… unconscious," Norrington hedged.

"I don't care! I won't to see him!" Jackie screeched. "I was told he was dead over two months ago. I found out he was alive a week ago and I haven't seen him since then."

The Commodore's blue-green eyes flickered. "Look, he's seriously injured. Captain Sparrow is still unsure if he' going to survive. That's why Sparrow hasn't allowed you to see him."

Jackie grew silent, his brown eyes unhappy.

"Speaking of Sparrow, how has the… pirate treated you?" Norrington questioned.

"Why do you ask?" the boy asked suspiciously.

"He's a pirate. You can't trust him."

"Don't talk about Captain Sparrow like that!" Jackie said indignantly. "Captain Sparrow is my dad's best friend. I trust him and so does my father. If you or your navy try to do anything to the Captain, both my mother and father will stop you."

"If they did, they would brand themselves as pirates forever."

"Do you honestly think that will stop them? Leave Captain Sparrow alone."

* * *

Once again, the screams coming from Will were becoming increasingly difficult to listen to. Jack knew of his horrid nightmares that continued to plague his subconscious.

Every time the young blacksmith drifted into unconsciousness, or tried to sleep, the hellish memories of his imprisonment would surface, leaving him terrified beyond reason.

It had been four days since Will had reminded him of his own injuries and he finally had treated them. To be honest, the bandages bothered him, and he was tempted take them off, but he decided against it. But- the point was- he and Will combined, had probably "slept" a total of two hours.

He was exhausted, to say the least. At least Will had been unconscious most of the time, so his body had gotten enough rest for his body to begin healing process. Unfortunately, he wasn't healing fast enough in Jack's mind. He wanted his friend to be nearly healed when they reached Port Bryant; he didn't want to have to explain everything to Elizabeth.

Jack sighed. There would be no hiding the fact that something _had_ happened. Will would have those scars for the rest of his life.

For that matter, Jackie would have his scars for the rest of his life. The deep cut through his lips and the cuts along his back had already formed into permanent scars.

Will screamed again and abruptly snapped awake. Jack wasn't surprised; it had only been a matter of time before he had woken up. "Will," he said automatically, "it's okay."

Two seconds passed as Will forced himself to focus on the reality of his waking. He was breathing heavily, despite the pain that flashed through his healing ribs. "Jack? What-?"

"You were having a nightmare," Jack interrupted. "Or rather, hellish memories." His caramel eyes met Will's dark brown ones.

Heaving a sigh, Will gently forced himself up into a sitting position. His left hand instinctively slipped up and touched first his broken shoulder then his upper arm. Jack couldn't help but notice that Will kept his hand over the bullet wound. "I feel… like shit."

Jack laughed, "I hate to tell you this, but you look like shit, too." His smile spread wider across his face.

A matching smile spread across Will's face. "In other words, I look as you always do?" he asked with a smirk.

Another laugh escaped Jack. It made him feel better to know Will was able to smile and joke again. "Funny. Very funny." When he finally stopped laughing he said quietly, "After all the screaming you've been doing, it's quite a relief to hear you laugh."

"Sorry about that," apologized Will in embarrassment. His left hand tightened on his arm. He hated not being able to control his reactions. That Jack was the one witnessing his lack of control… it was difficult for him to decide whether it was the best thing or the worst.

Jack was his best friend, so it could be worse- he knew Jack would never exploit those weaknesses. Then again, the same reason it could be okay made it horrible. The pirate was his friend and expected him to be strong, so Will felt… slightly sick, knowing that Jack had seen him at his weakest.

The Captain of the Black Pearl- assuming that it was still in one piece- couldn't help but notice the emotions flickering through Will's eyes. He was surprised to discover that it was more difficult to read his friend's emotions than it had been.

When had Will had created such strong mental defenses? Before, Will's eyes had clearly reflected all things he had felt; now though, Will's dark eyes had let almost nothing known- unless he wanted it to be known or he simply wasn't completely aware. He could still read his friend's feelings, but… it was much more difficult.

"It's okay," he finally said. His caramel eyes were soft and compassionate. "You do know that I'm never going to take advantage of your weakness, right? I would never hold this over you, or use it to blackmail you."

A small nod answered his question. "I know," he met his friend's eyes. "Don't worry, I trust you completely. It's just…"

"Don't think about it. What's happened… it doesn't affect anything. Except that maybe I think you must be the most stubborn person I've ever met. I can't think of anyone else that could have survived."

"Bullshit," Will said. "That is bullshit, Jack. You could have done it, and you wouldn't have broken as I did."

Jack almost did a double take; how had the topics shifted so quickly? He could see the despondency in Will's eyes. A few minutes ago Will had been laughing- despite the pain that had been flashing through his broken ribs- now though, he was depressed.

"What makes you think I could have survived? I couldn't defeat Blacksword- and I wasn't even injured- yet you killed him. I could never do half of what you can."

Will looked about to retort but Jack quickly interrupted him. "I've been thinking about when I called your brother, and… I may have figured out why."

Looking grateful for the change in subjects, the young blacksmith stared at him curiously.

Sighing, Jack began to explain, "I never had a family- well, not that I can remember, and what I can remember, it's not worth remembering. My mother, she died when I was five, but I didn't really miss her. She was a barmaid and barely knew I existed. My father, he _didn't_ know I existed and my mother wasn't even sure _who_ he was."

The look in Will's eyes almost annoyed him. He despised having people feel sorry for him; that was why he never told anyone about his past.

"Anyone, you and Elizabeth are by far the closest friends I've ever had. And you're… probably the closest thing to a family that I've ever had. Honestly, if I had to choose someone to be my brother… it'd be you. You're the only person I trust enough."

His friend had grown silent and his dark eyes had softened. His mind was reflecting upon the things that he had been told, both now and during his imprisonment. A slightly more disturbing question had surfaced in his mind. "Jack, I know you would never hurt me, and I know you would never allow anything to happen to my son, but… Elizabeth, you wouldn't…?"

"I wouldn't let her get hurt. I care about her as well," Jack answered, surprised by the question.

"That's what I'm worried about," Will said in response to Jack's lost sentence. Shock showed in Jack's eyes, along with confusion. "Jack, I know you've never had a lasting… relationship with someone. I learned that in Tortuga. But, if I died… you wouldn't…"

Minutes passed as Jack gazed in confusion at his friend. Slowly, understanding filtered into his eyes. "No!" he said sharply. "I would _never_ do that."

A slight bit of doubt showed in Will's eyes, prompting Jack to quickly attempt to reassure his friend. "Will, I just said I almost consider you to be my brother, and I do consider you to be my best friend. I may be a pirate, but I have my honor. That would be low even for me."

Slowly, the absolute trust in Will's eyes returned. "Okay." His eyes slowly began to take on a look of exhaustion.

"You need to get some sleep," Jack said, uselessly. He pressed his lips together. He needed sleep as well, but he wouldn't say that.

Helplessness filled Will's dark brown eyes. "I wish I could, but these nightmares… these memories…"

"I know," Jack said, shaking his head. "I wish there was something we could do, but not even Miguel knows what to do. He says there's no reason for you to keep having these recurring dreams as you are. The best he could figure out was that it had something to do with the trauma of what happened and the aftereffects of the… alcohol and drugs."

"I could have told you that," Will said almost bitterly. Exhaustion showed in his eyes. Finally he asked, "How long do you think this is going to last? I would really prefer _not_ to let Elizabeth know about _everything_."

Shrugging slightly, Jack responded, "If I knew that, then I wouldn't be as worried about it."

Will sighed in frustration and the room began to spin around him. He had been growing increasingly nauseous and a chill had crept into him. He had noticed that the last time he had been conscious too; it was an interesting sensation, being cold during a Caribbean summer. He shivered, unable to stop himself.

Jack eyes his friend in concern, "Will, are you okay?"

Nodding slowly, Will started to reply, "Of course. Jack, stop worr-" Abruptly, everything in his field of vision tilted and he passed out, collapsing backwards onto the small bunk he's been sitting on.

Alarmed slightly, Jack stepped forward. There had been something in Will's eyes as he had talked that had bothered him. Another small shiver escaped Will's otherwise unmoving form.

On impulse, the pirate reached forward and gently touched Will's face. The young man's skin was burning hot to the touch, but it didn't alarm Jack; instead it relieved him.

Miguel had told him that a fever would be a sign that the blacksmith was healing. A fever was the body's natural defense against infections and other such things. Will's body had been preoccupied with the mass internal injuries it had suffered, delaying the other healing processes. If Will was developing a fever, that meant the internal injuries from the stab wounds had finally healed enough to no longer be a threat to his life.

He smiled to himself; Will would be fine now. After the fever died down, the only thing that would need to be dealt with would be the bloody nightmares and his broken shoulder.

Gently, he pulled the other's hand from his arm, where it was still holding the bullet wound. Grinning a trademark drunken grin, he turned and left the room. He could finally relax; maybe now he would be able to get some sleep. 'About time something went our way.'

TBC

Ohhh, famous last words.

Anyways, I'll see you guys later!


	17. And Yet More Pirates

Merry belated Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a most wonderful Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, or just had a happy holiday in general.

Okay since this is a long chapter and you've all waited patiently for this, I'll just answer the reviews, then everything will be good. Okay? Good.

**Smithy** – Okay, I hope everything you said was in a good way. I'd hate to think that I'm being to cruel and callous with an issue that's sensitive for you. If I am, I apologize deeply.

**Saharan** **Sparrow** – I take the fifth. I'm not telling anyone how this turns out. Sorry, but you'll just have to read and find out.

**Goma-Ryu Immortal Vampire** – Yes, he's alive. The question is whether or not he'll stay that way. Mwahaha. Milk and cookies? Yay! (Like I really need the extra sweets right now. I'm going to wind up able to sell myself as a blimp.Haha.)

**Sanguinedarkness666** – Another chapter. Yay! And we are close to the end. So sad. Oh well, with this new semester comes new, fun classes. Note happy face.

**SpufFan** – Well, the thing with fevers is this: Fevers are you bodies natural defense against disease and infection. So basically, while it doesn't necessarily mean that Will won't die of actual injuries, it DOES mean you don't have to worry about him dying of an infection from the injuries. Which means that there's one less thing to worry about. And don't worry, this story will be finished. Only a couple of chapters left in fact. Weeee.

**Hawkstra** – While slash no longer really bothers me, I just can't see it between Jack and Will. Nope, it's not there. So don't worry about that. Hope You like this chapter. Sorry You had to wait so long.

**Williz** - #blushes# Awwww, thanks! I'm glad you think this isn't just going on a downhill power slide. Hope you like this chapter. It's extra long!

**LadyofCairParavel** – And here's another update. Hope it wasn't too long of a wait for you.

**Dancin** – Oh please don't kill me for making it take so long. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Anyway, I hope you enjoy chapter 17.

**Daphnebandweenie** – Oooooh. I want that soundtrack. My absolute favorite songs are Brother, My Brother and If My Tears Could Bring You Back. I love them. So sweet. And the fanfic she was talking about was taken down from the sight.

**MagRowan** – Well, I'll forgive you for taking so long to review if you can forgive me for taking so long to update. Fair enough? And the trailer was awesome! I'm really hoping they develop Jack and Will's friendship. That'd be sweet. And I will tell you this: Yes, Jackie will be able to talk to his dad as soon as the "grow-ups" start thinking straight. And yeah, schools pretty good.

**Trinilee** **Greenleaf** – Yeah, I know how you feel about the practicing thing. Normally, I play the trumpet in band, but this year my band director switched me to French Horn, so I really need to practice, but sometimes I don't have time, either that or I just REALLY don't feel like it. Sorry it took so long, but here's the next chapter. Enjoy the fact that it's extra long.

And now what you've all been waiting for. Chapter 17. Enjoy.

**-----------------------------------**

**BlackSword**

**-----------------------------------**

**Chapter 17**

Four Days Later

Commodore Norrington would have smiled if he hadn't felt it would be undignified. Despite what Sparrow had been expecting, the Dauntless had encountered no delays and the ship was only eight days from Port Bryant, and from the look of it, Will would actually be alive when they got there. That had been a good thing; he had not wanted to be forced to tell Elizabeth that her husband had died.

He glanced over curiously at the Spaniard and the little boy who were currently aiding his crew. The pirate – Miguel, he was fairly certain that was his name – had been surprisingly helpful and cooperative, and he had to admit he had been shocked at Jackie's skills on a ship.

"Commodore," his lieutenant said, approaching him. "We are being hailed, sir."

Norrington turned to the man. "What flag are they flying, Gilette?"

"French, sir."

The commodore stood, debating whether or not to stop for them. The French had long been their enemies, but if there was a chance of rebuilding trust between the two countries…

As he began to give his orders though, Gilette interrupted him, which was quite uncharacteristic of him. "Commodore! They've dropped their flag!"

Norrington quickly turned, instantly spotting the ship the other man had been referring to. To his dismay, he recognized the flag they were trying to raise. There was no mistaking the black canvas with the skull and crossed bones as anything else. The flag may not have been the same as Sparrow's- of course the pirate had made his own flag by crossing two blades behind the skull instead of bones- but there was no doubt it was a pirate flag. "Pirates," he said flatly.

"Commodore?" Gilette questioned, waiting for his orders.

"Bring the cannons out, I want them manned and loaded before we get within firing range. Bring this ship around so we're ready to fire," Norrington ordered loudly.

His crew instantly stopped what they were doing and quickly jumped into action. Miguel took hold of Jackie's wrist and dragged the boy up to Norrington. "Commodore, what's going on?" His eyes were edged with concern.

"Pirates," the commodore replied shortly.

Both the Spaniard and the eight-year-old looked slightly alarmed but not terribly worried. "What do you want us to do, Commodore?" Jackie asked, blinking his large eyes.

By this time the commotion had spread below deck as well. Jack was hurrying toward them, and confusion was reflected in his eyes. "What-"

"Pirates, Captain," Miguel interrupted.

Jack stopped dead and spun, causing his long, dark brown hair to whip around, jingling the beads braided into it. "Pirates? Who are they? Which group is it? Is it-?" He stopped midsentence, "Oh shit."

"Sparrow?" Norrington questioned uncertainly.

"Norrington, get us out of here. Now!" Jack ordered.

"Captain Sparrow?" Jackie asked in growing alarm. He didn't like the look on the grown man's face. "What's wrong?"

Jack didn't answer; he merely turned to Miguel. "Miguel…"

The Spanish man nodded and tightened his grip on Jack's wrist. "Come on, Jackie."

"No! I'm not going!" Jackie shouted angrily. "You always make me leave, but I'm not going this time."

Miguel ground his teeth together and forcefully drug the boy away, despite the child's best attempts to stop him.

"Captain Sparrow, who are they?" Norrington asked.

"Remember how Blacksword died; because of Will and I? Well, unfortunately Blacksword… he had several more crewmembers than could fit on one ship. I would bet Will's life that those are allies of his," Jack's voice carried a tone the commodore had never before heard.

"Sparrow, go below and watch Mr. Turner. It would be a waste if he survived everything he has only to die now."

Jack hesitated, more because of his pride than because he didn't want to. Finally he nodded and ran below deck.

Deep inside, Norrington was furious with Will and Jack; it was because of them the pirates were about to attack. But at the same time he couldn't fault them.

'This is not going to go well.'

* * *

Jackie had protested the whole way down, but now, he almost couldn't be more excited. He had been shocked to find out that Miguel hadn't planned on locking him in a room. His fist tightened around the hilt of a dagger he held.

"Thank you, Miguel. I didn't want to stay behind again."

"Don't worry about it," Miguel said. "As long as you stay with me, you can fight." His black eyes told the boy that he was dead serious.

"I will," the boy promised.

"Good."

* * *

Nervousness swept through Jack. He knew the battle had just begun; he had jumped upon hearing the first cannon explosion and the first gunshot.

He wanted to be up on deck, in the fight, but he didn't trust anyone else to protect Will.

Protect Will. That thought almost made him laugh. He had never expected to hear that. It was almost ironic.

'Damn it, Will. I wish you could fight without the risk of hurting yourself. Everything would be so much easier.'

He jerked his sword from his sheath and stood in front of the door. No one was going to get past him, not while he was still alive.

The door exploded inward, and a pirate stood at the door, a cold smirk on his face.

"Captain Sparrow, nice to see you. I must admit, I'm rather surprised to see you aboard a ship of the Royal Navy, but no matter. So far they haven't been a problem," the dark skinned pirate said mockingly.

An exasperated look crossed Will's face. "Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?" he asked with a sneer. Without blinking, he swung his sword, quickly gutting the man. Most people would have gotten sick at the sight of another's intestines falling to the ground, but fortunately it was nothing Jack hadn't seen before.

The pirate's body lay on the deck in a small pool of blood. Jack turned away and started away, but a blade slipped around his neck from behind. The edge rested against his throat.

"That wasn't very nice captain," a cruel voice said. A hand clamped onto his arm and he was spun around. The blade remained at his throat the whole time.

Jack had never seen the pirate before, but it didn't matter. The man was clearly an ally of Black Andrew. His eyes were cold and hard.

A second pirate entered the room, barely noticing the body on the floor'How did they get here?' Jack wondered. 'I hope Norrington, Miguel, and Jackie are okay.'

"Well, Sparrow, I must admit, I was rather surprised to find both you and your young friend alive," the first said, face only inches from Jack's. "Don't worry, we'll remedy that."

His hand tightened on the hilt, "If you do anything to Will, I swear I'll kill you."

"I don't think," the pirate said, smiling. Before Jack could react, he felt the muzzle of a gun in his stomach, and the sound of the gunshot echoed through the small room.

Pain almost more intense than anything he'd ever felt flashed through his awareness. It stole his whole world for several seconds.

When his awareness returned, he realized he was on his back at the one man's feet.

"Hurry up, and take out Turner, before Sparrow decides to stop us," the pirate was ordering. The fog in Jack's mind slowly began to lift. 'Kill Turner?' his pain-filled mind wondered. 'Who-?'

Abruptly, Jack remembered everything. His pain almost faded as fear reclaimed his being. He slowly groped for his sword, being careful not to further injure himself or attract the attention of the other two pirates.

Darkness edged his vision, but that didn't keep him from being able to see the man that stood over Will with his blade drawing closer to the young man's vulnerable throat. 'Don't… have bloody time… for this," Jack thought angrily through the haze in his mind. 'Where… is that… damn pistol?'

His trembling hands finally found the gun tucked into his belt. Slowly he pulled it out, forcing himself both to breathe steadily and keep from shaking. Jack swallowed hard, tasting blood but ignoring it; this could not be allowed to continue.

His caramel eyes darted upwards; the pirate standing over him hadn't seen anything. Turning his head slowly back, he forced down his double vision. Raising the pistol in his trembling hand, he aimed the gun at the man close to Will. Pain flared through him, causing him to nearly black out.

The pirates were caught completely off guard when suddenly a gunshot whipped into their awareness. The large man standing over Will dropped backwards soundlessly.

Jack's pain doubled as the pirate kicked him in the pit of his stomach, almost in the gunshot wound itself. While the captain of the Black Pearl laid still, pain leaving him paralyzed, the other quickly drew his sword.

Chest heaving in a desperate attempt to get enough air, Jack's hand finally found his own sword and it closed around the hilt. Adrenaline raced through his veins and he suddenly had a profound new respect for his best friend. How Will had fought Blacksword… respect was almost not a strong enough word for what he felt.

His arm shook as he blocked the downward blow. Narrowing his eyes, trying to focus, he used his other hand to pull out his knife. Blocking one final time, Jack swung his knife into the man's leg, jerking the pirate to the ground. Before he even finished falling, the man had Jack's sword through his heart.

Jack released his sword, then slowly and painfully rose to his feet. He staggered over to Will's side. From his place on the floor, he hadn't been able to see if anything had been done to his friend.

To his relief, there were no further injuries on the young man's body. Adrenaline began to fade from his system and he felt his legs beginning to tremble. Taking a step backwards, he could literally see the room as it started to spin.

Suddenly, he could no longer support himself and he collapsed, face down, on the ground. Consciousness had fled him before he landed.

* * *

"Captain Sparrow?" Miguel called. The blade of his sword was covered in blood and he was breathing heavily. "Norrington, do you know where the Captain is?"

Jackie stopped and looked up. The small knives in his hands were also drenched in blood, along with his hands themselves. "Where _is_ Captain Sparrow? I haven't seen him since before the pirates attacked."

"I sent him below to keep an eye on Will. He's probably still down there," Norrington answered. His eyes were full of different emotions. They may have defeated the pirates, but more than half of his crew had died, and the Dauntless had suffered serious damages.

Nodding, Miguel said, "I'm going to go check on him. I'll be back, Jackie."

The Spaniard quickly slipped through the ship. When he came to the door, he was surprised to see that it was no longer on his hinges. That surprise was mild compared to the shock of seeing Jack lying unmoving, facedown, on the ground.

"Captain!" he cried in surprise. He ran to Jack, kneeling down beside him. "Captain Sparrow, are you okay?"

Jack quickly regained consciousness, much to Miguel's surprise. He was alarmed to see the deck of the ship less than a half an inch from his face. "What the…?" He quickly pushed himself up, ignoring the flaring pain in his stomach. "Miguel?"

Miguel sighed in relief. "Captain, are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine," Jack lied. "Just… got a little tired."

Doubt showed in Miguel's eyes. "Captain…" his eyes widened as he saw the blood on Jack's abdomen. "I highly doubt that you're okay."

"Oh, that," the pirate captain slowly said, trying to find a decent excuse. His eyes finally fell upon the body of the first pirate he had killed. "When I killed him, he was… standing over me. He… bled on me. I'm fine… honestly."

Miguel clearly didn't fully believe him but he wasn't one to question the captain. He rose to his feet, "Captain, I'll be back later. I want to check on Will in a few hours. Get some sleep. We don't need you passing out on us again."

The pirate left, despite what his medical knowledge told him. He had to just accept what Jack said and hope it was the truth.

"I'm inclined to agree with Miguel."

Jack knew instantly who it was and what they were talking about. "How would you know? You have been unconscious the whole time." He didn't turn immediately to his friend; instead, he debated whether or not to let him know about his injury.

"Jack… I'm sorry. You know I don't enjoy this anymore than you do," Will said softly. He had sat up on the small bunk, bracing himself with his good arm. His right arm was in a sling across his chest to keep him from shifting the bone in his shoulder.

Sighing, Jack turned to his friend, despite his fear of the young man's reaction. As he caught sight of Jack's stomach, Will's fever-bright eyes widened. "Jack, are you… what happened?" his voice had risen in panic.

"We were attacked… by a group of Blacksword's allies," Jack answered almost unwillingly.

"No shit," Will said darkly. "What happened to _you_?"

"I… don't worry… about it. It's nothing," he began, trying to keep from losing consciousness in front of his friend. He was staring to lose the battle. "As I told… Miguel… I'm fi-" he dropped, losing consciousness, straight to the ground.

"Jack!" Will screamed in alarm. He moved, not caring how much it hurt, and almost literally dropped to the ground beside the pirate. "Jack! Jack! Wake up! Jack?"

There was no response and fear shot through every fiber of Will's body. Pain flared in his healing ribs, but he barely noticed it. Grinding his teeth together, Will forced himself to his feet, using his left arm to support himself.

Staggering slightly, he hurried after Miguel. "Miguel! Miguel!"

The Spaniard had almost reached the deck of the Dauntless. He stopped and turned, and even Norrington heard, and recognizing the voice, quickly entered the belly of the ship. "Will?" both the commodore and the pirate said at the same time.

Will's knees gave out beneath him and he collapsed; he barely caught himself with his good arm. The muscles in his legs weren't used to supporting his weight and his body was far too weak. He may have been out of mortal danger from his wounds, but his body still hadn't fully healed.

"It's Jack…" he started, slightly breathless. Miguel didn't wait for Will to finish, but bolted for the room he'd left his captain in.

Norrington, though, hesitated. He stared at the young blacksmith in front of him as he struggled to regain his feet.

Will finally managed to stand and he started to stagger back to where he had come. Quickly, Norrington slipped up beside him and carefully supported the young man.

The look in Will's yes surprised the commodore. He could see the young man clearly didn't want to accept his help; his pride stopped him from being able to willingly an easily accept any assiatance. Norrington was shocked. For someone of his social class, Will had a very large since of pride.

The boy- at least in Norrington's eyes he was still a boy- started to pull away from him. "I don't need your help," he ground out. It was one thing to admit needing help to Jack, another thing entirely to admit it to Norrington.

Sighing, the commodore released Will. The man almost collapsed, then, after waiting to regain his balance, hurried back to Jack.

By the time Will got there, Jack had regained consciousness. The pirate didn't seem very happy and he was yelling at Miguel. The instant he saw Will though, he stopped and gawked in surprise.

Reaching his friend's side, Will dropped- literally- unceremoniously to his knees. "Jack… are you okay?"

Ignoring the blacksmith's question, Jack turned to Miguel. "What is he doing up? He should be-"

"He did it because of you," Miguel interrupted angrily, voice hard and pointed. "He was worried about you!"

Jack looked down, tanned cheeks turning a light shade of red. He felt guilty for doing that; if something had happened to Will, if he had gotten hurt again, because of him, he wouldn't have forgiven himself. He let his eyes drift up and they uncertainly met Will's.

"Don't worry, Jack," Will said quietly. "We just want to make sure you're okay."

Jack stared at his friend, carefully keeping the pain from showing in his eyes. "I'm fine," he said slowly, emphasizing his words. Pain was filling his entire being, radiating outwards from his stomach, and it was becoming more difficult for him to hide the truth.

Dark brown eyes narrowed slightly and Jack could tell that Will knew, to some extent, that he was injured. As he looked at his friend, he let his friend see deep inside his soul. Mentally he begged his friend not to bring Miguel into this more than he was. After a few seconds, grudging agreement filtered into Will's gaze.

Miguel missed the entire exchange and he continued to glare at his captain. Abruptly, he shook his head. "Captain, I'm going to help, whether you enjoy it or not."

"Help me with what?" Jack asked in a pointed tone. "I'm fine. I don't need any help."

The Spaniard glance at Will, clearly hoping the young blacksmith could force Jack to cooperate. To his surprise, Will said, "Miguel, leave him alone. If he keeps passing out from exhaustion, then the best thing would be for us to leave him alone so he can get some sleep."

Shock showed on the Spanish man's face but he slowly nodded. Standing, he backed away and then left, almost forgetting the door was gone as he tried to close it. He was, quite obviously, upset, but his departure left Will and Jack alone again.

Jack was surprised when Will's eyes suddenly flashed in anger. "Damn it, Jack! You're a bloody liar!" he said, voice filled with barely contained rage.

"Me!" Jack questioned. "You were… the… one who… lied."

"Oh, so _you_ didn't lie?" his voice was edged with sarcasm. Will quickly threw his voice into a fairly decent imitation of Jack's, "Don't worry. I'm fine." His eyes flashed again and he stopped mocking his friend's voice. "Bullshit! You are _not_ fine!"

Caramel eyes flickered in pain and sadness. "Will, you don't understand-"

The pirate almost flinched when Will glared at him. "_I_ don't _understand_?" he repeated incredulously. "Jack, as of now, I think I understand pain better than you do. How do I _not_ understand?"

"Will… I… it's…" Jack began, stammering uncertainly. "Okay, fine," he finally admitted. "Maybe… you do under… understand. But… I couldn't… tell Miguel. He _wouldn't_ understand."

Again, Will surprised him; this time because of the concern reflected in his deep eyes. "Jack, he can help you. He's probably the only one who can." Gently, he reached forward and touched Jack's stomach. The pirate winced and pulled away. "Jack, what happened?" he asked softly.

Jack finally gave up trying to hide his pain. Will knew him far too well to be fooled by his charade.

"The ship was… attacked… by pirates," Jack said. "One of them pulled a gun on me."

"He shot you!" Will said in surprise. "Are you okay?"

Looking exasperated, Jack said, "Will…"

"Jack, if you're not going to be concerned with this, I'm going to hit you."

Annoyance flashed in Jack's eyes, "I'm sorry, but I don't need Miguel's help. This isn't exactly the first time I've been shot. I've always done fine on my own."

"But Jack," Will protested, "let us help you. You don't have to be alone. We want to help you. Let us."

"Will, I can't help it. I won't let Miguel help."

"At least let someone help."

"I plan to."

Will's dark brown eyes widened. "You are? Who?"

Sighing, Jack said, "Think about… it. I'm... not going to… allow anyone to help me… if I don't trust… them."

"Well, that knocks out a lot of options. Let's see, aboard this ship… people who are _capable_ of helping you and have your trust. Hmm, clearly not Miguel. I _know_ you don't trust the doctor aboard. Norrington… there's no way you trust him enough. The only people you trust enough would be Jackie and myself. Sorry, but Jackie would have no idea about what to do, and I can't do anything…"

The look on Jack's face stopped him. "You… want me to help you? But… I can't…"

"Why not?" Jack asked bluntly. His breathing was labored but his eyes remained focused on Will.

"Jack, my shoulder… or collarbone… is broken. I can't even use my right arm, or have you not noticed?"

"How does that matter?"

Will sighed in frustration. He wanted to help Jack, but he was afraid he would make a mistake. "I'm right-handed, Jack, and I can't use my right arm." He glanced down at the sling his arm was in to emphasize his point.

"Your broken shoulder didn't stop you from killing Blacksword, or holding your own against him."

"That's because it was a fight," Will said. "I've trained to be able to fight switch. But, just because I can fight switch doesn't mean I can use it otherwise." He stared at his friend, hoping to make the pirate understand. "I don't have that kind of fine control."

Jack shrugged slightly, "Then I'll leave it in."

"You can't do that!" Will protested in alarm. "You could die; either from blood loss or lead poisoning."

"Are you going to remove the bullet? Because I can't do it myself and that's the only other option."

Will's eyes were narrow, "You're serious about this, aren't you? I'm the only one you're going to let help you, aren't I?"

Jack slowly nodded. "It's you or… or nobody." He was starting to feel dizzy and darkness had once again edged his vision. His consciousness began to fade in and out and he could no longer remain focused on Will.

Alarm filled Will's eyes, "Jack, are you okay? Jack!"

When no answer came, a slight zing of panic shot up Will's spine. "Jack, come on, say something!"

"What are you yelling… about?" Jack asked groggily

"Damn you and your pride Jack," Will said angrily. "Why are you acting like this?"

The pirate's eyes cleared slightly. "I'm not stupid. I won't allow someone I don't trust to go digging around my stomach with a knife."

"Jack, I don't have any medical training. So what if you trust me? That won't help if I mess up. I could kill you."

His caramel eyes were soft. "I would rather die accidentally at you hand than… anyone… else's."

Will looked helplessly around the room. "Jack… I don't want to hurt you."

"Then… don't worry about… it," Jack said quietly.

The pain reflected in Will's dark brown eyes surprised him. A heavy sigh escaped the blacksmith. "Give me the knife," he finally relented.

"You'll do it?" Shock filled the pirate's pain-leadened voice.

"I'm not going to just sit by and watch you die from lead poisoning. At least if you die because of me, it will be quicker and less painful."

"That's… looking on the… bright side," Jack gasped.

Will's eyes darkened. "Don't make me hurt you," he warned. "After all, I'm the one who's "going to be digging around your stomach with a knife"."

Laughing quietly, Jack handed his friend the knife. Despite the fact that Will had no medical training, he wasn't worried. He trusted the younger man completely.

Holding the knife in his left hand, Will hesitated. Jack, guessing what the problem was, quickly undid his bloody, white shirt and pulled it off. He winced slightly.

A sharp gasp escaped Will. It wasn't just the blood-soaked bandages that prevented him from seeing the wound, but also the scars from previous gunshot wounds, and other various scars from who knew what.

"Where did… those come from," Will asked slowly. He couldn't help but stare at the twin bullet wounds on the left side of his chest.

"A… long time ago," Jack answered. "Are you going to do this or not?"

Nodding quickly, Will tore his attention from the old scars. "Can you remove your bandages for me?"

Instead of answering, Jack simply pulled the blood-soaked bandages off; carefully unwrapping them from around his abdomen.

Swallowing hard, Will's grip tightened on the knife. Jack had done so much for him, this was something he simply had to do. So why did he feel do sick inside?

As he was about to begin his attempt to remove the bullet, he remembered how Jack had taken the bullet out of his arm. It had been a good thing Jack had given him something to hold onto then; it had helped keep the pain from overriding everything.

Quickly changing courses, Will set down the knife. The pirate stared at him in confusion. "Will, what are you…"

He didn't have to finish, because he soon saw- if not understood- what Will was doing. The young blacksmith was quickly undoing the ties on the sling. Once it was off, he carefully shifted his arm, as if testing it.

"You'd best stop it, Will. You're… going to… only make it worse," Jack pointed out around his pain. He had no idea what his friend was planning, but he didn't want him to do anything stupid.

Then, much to Jack's surprise, Will gently reached forward and took one of the pirate's hands, despite the lancing pain in his shoulder.

"What the… bloody hell…?" Jack began.

"You're going to want something to hold onto," Will told him. "Trust me."

A glimmer of defiance flickered through Jack's eyes. "Already told you… once… I've been shot before… it's nothing new. I don't… need…"

"Then do it to make me feel better," Will interrupted. "At least this way, if you're holding on, I'll know I haven't killed you."

Sighing, Jack gave up. He couldn't argue at the moment; he was in too much pain.

Using his good arm, Will picked the knife back up. He was being careful to keep his arm from trembling. Closing his eyes for a second, Will took another deep breath. "Ready, Jack?"

"Just… do it," the pirate ground out around his pain.

Before he could change his mind, Will slid the knife into his friend's stomach, hating what he was doing.

Jack barely managed to stifle his scream and there was no way for him to stop from tightening his grip on Will. Surprise filtered through him when he saw pain flash in Will's eyes. Will, though, just kept digging deeper, hoping to quickly get it over with.

Forcing himself to release his grip, Jack realized how he had hurt the young man. In squeezing hard on Will's hand, his muscles had tightened, pulling both at the injured upper arm- his own bullet wound still throbbed, causing Will no small amount of pain- and at the carefully set bones in his shoulder.

Another wave of pain shot through Jack as Will twisted the knife slightly inside of him. Will winced slightly. "Sorry," he apologized in a pained tone.

"What… are you… apologizing… for," Jack asked.

Will didn't answer but he didn't have to. Finally, he felt the knife brush the lead bullet.

"That's it," Jack confirmed, feeling the scrape of knife on bullet. His voice had risen slightly in pain, despite all his attempts to control his tone.

Carefully digging the knife in around the bullet, Will forced himself not to tremble. He knew how dangerous things were becoming and his fear was continually rising. If he made a mistake, he would lose his best friend, and he would never forgive himself.

"What do you think Jack?"

"Hurry up…" Jack said weakly. "I don't… feel good." The pain was beginning to make him nauseous, and his hand was tight on Will's.

"Just hang in there Jack. I'm almost done," Will said. He wasn't going to say anything about his own pain; Jack hadn't earlier. The pirate's hand clamped harder, causing shooting pain through his arm and shoulder. He could feel the muscles threatening to shift the bone back out of place, but that was the least of his worries.

Quickly wedging the knife under the bullet, Will prepared to get it out. "Brace yourself, Jack," he warned quietly. His friend slowly nodded.

Twisting the knife hard, the young blacksmith forced the bullet back out. Jack forced down a scream, but Will couldn't as agony shot up his arm.

Jack was surprised when Will blacked out, collapsing backwards.

Abruptly, he realized _he_ had caused his friend to pass out. Reaching down, he gently pulled the knife the rest of the way from his stomach.

Leaning forward, he gently shook his friend, careful not to hurt himself. "Will? Will?"

No answer came and he stopped. Picking up a few bandages, he quickly wrapped them around his ribs. Once he didn't have to worry about blood loss, he scooted closer to his friend. Carefully, he placed his hand on Will's broken shoulder, feeling the break and attempting to tell if the bone needed to be reset.

Dark eyes slowly opened and met his, "Are you okay?"

"Thanks to you," he said, smiling slightly. "How could you… risk yourself for me, though?"

Using his good arm, Will pressed himself up. Agony shot through his shoulder as the bone ground against bone. His shoulder may not have been out of place, but the slight movement still hurt. "It was only my arm. Your life was at stake. Even if it was my life at risk, do you think… it would stop me?"

Caramel eyes softened, "No, but it should." He felt better than he had before and he felt greatly in debt to the younger man.

"It was nothing you haven't done for me."

Jack sighed, "Well, not exactly." He shrugged, "Now that… it's over, we… can get some rest."

"I can't," Will said quietly. Pain was almost beginning to show in his eyes. "My body… may be almost fully healed but… the nightmares… they won't stop."

To the young man's surprise, Jack moved closer. "Sorry, but… I need to make sure… your shoulder is still in place."

"It is," Will answered. He knew the pirate was avoiding the subject of Will's nightmares because Jack felt as though it was his fault.

A silence fell between them until Jack asked, "Do you think… if I could convince your… subconsciousness… that I did not… betray you… the nightmares would stop?"

Will started to shrug but stopped as the pain accompanying the movement shot through his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Jack apologized, seeing the way Will stopped abruptly. "That's probably my fault as well."

Carefully shaking his head, Will said, "It wouldn't bother me if I could remember it was broken."

"That's what the sling was for," Jack pointed out. "The sling, you know, the thing you took off. "

The young man's dark brown eyes narrowed. "Jack…"

"Do you need me to help… put the sling back on?" Jack questioned.

Will didn't answer but Jack could see his reluctant agreement. Jack reached over and picked up the cloth that had been used earlier. Will sat in front of him, cradling his arm against his chest. The pain from the gunshot wound had died down to a dull ache, leaving only the pain of the broken bone.

The pirate quickly slipped the makeshift sling under the other man's arm and carefully tied it off. A thought struck him and he chuckled to himself.

"What?" Will asked, having overheard his friend's laughter.

"I was thinking, I _feel_ like an older brother, taking care of you like this," he admitted, unable to control his grin.

Will rolled his eyes, but a slight smile had edged his face.

"So… what do you think? You… want to see if we can get rid of your… nightmares," Jack offered. He had an idea, but it would be… awkward, to say the least.

"What are you thinking?" Will asked slowly.

Jack sighed, "Now, hear me out before you say anything. Your… subconsciousness… seems to think you can't trust me anymore, so we need to… I guess _convince_ it that I didn't betray you."

Will nodded but didn't speak; he would wait for his friend to finish.

"Well… do you think if I were here… it would help?"

Before Will could say anything, Jack proceeded to explain, "I'm only going on what I've been told and some… guessing… but it might work."

Confusion was written on Will's face so Jack elaborated. "When you were a little kid and your mother was still alive, did you ever have nightmares?"

"Fairly often," Will admitted with slight embarrassment.

"How did she get you to go back asleep? How would she make them go away?" Jack pressed.

"Jack," Will said, staring at the pirate, "I hate to tell you, but you look nothing like my mother. I would have to be _very_ drunk to mistake you for her."

"You were getting upset with me for not being serious earlier. Our roles are about to be switched," Jack warned.

"She would stay with me until I fell asleep," Will finally relented.

"Exactly!" the Black Pearl's captain said. "Good, I can do that. It's not as bad as I thought."

Will looked down and Jack knew instantly that there was more. "Oh, no," he groaned. "What is it? I knew it was too simple."

"I don't think you want to know," Will muttered. Sighing, he said, "She would also… hold me 'till I fell asleep."

"Damn, you were a spoiled little child," Jack commented. "I was lucky if I got a bed. Hell, to me, a clean bed was paradise."

"That's nice," Will said, voice edged with sarcasm. "I think I'll leave now-"

"Will, do I look any happier than you about this?" Jack interrupted.

Eyes widening, Will looked shocked. "You… you're not seriously considering this, are you?"

Shrugging slightly, Jack said, "If it will help-"

"No!" This time it was Will who interrupted Jack. "No, no, no. Period."

"Do you want Elizabeth to know about this? About everything that's happened to you?" Jack pointed out.

"No," Will admitted, "but at the moment, I'd give almost anything to have her here instead of you."

Jack almost smiled, "Honestly… I would just about sell my soul to the devil, or Hades, or Pluto, or whatever god people believe in now… for her to be here as opposed to me." Then he did grin, "So don't feel bad, the feeling is mutual."

"Well, as long as the feeling is mutual, it's okay," Will said, voice now laced heavily with sarcasm. His eyes were clearly filled with his unhappiness.

The pirate couldn't help it as his eyes narrowed, "You are very annoying when you're sarcastic, did you know that? I don't like this_ at all_. I…" he shuddered. "You realize I would _never_, _ever_ do this for _anyone_ but you."

"Jack, no," Will repeated. "It would be bad enough having you sit and watch over me, but to have you acting like my mother… No."

"Then think of me… more as your older brother," Jack tried. He stood up. "I'm going to need a drink. Do you want one?"

"If you're going to do this, I'm going to need more than one," Will said in a depressed tone.

Jack laughed; he almost had forgotten his injury. Almost, but not quite. The drink would help there as well. "I'll be back with your drink," he said as he left."

Miguel paced in agitation. It had been several hours since Jack had refused to allow him to help and he was still worried. Commodore Higsby had told him that he had seen Jack once since then. It seemed the captain had found something to drink that neither Higsby nor Norrington had realized was on board.

He had finally managed to force Jackie to go to bed; that had not been one of the easiest things he had to do in this life. That boy was at least as stubborn as his father _and_ Captain Sparrow, if not more so- if that were even possible.

Sighing, he turned on his heel. He would _not_ be put off a third time. Storming to the room, he then hesitated at the doorway. His resolve wavered but he knocked lightly on the doorframe. No answer came.

Slowly, he leaned around the doorway and glanced inside. He froze as his eyes fell upon the two figures in there. At first, he had been confused but slowly he understood, and he couldn't help but feel touched.

Both Jack and Will were dead asleep, for the first time in weeks. It was almost the same as aboard the rowboat, when Jack had been terrified Will would die. The pirate- the supposedly black-hearted pirate- was cradling Will against his chest.

The young blacksmith's head was resting against Jack's chest. That wasn't what surprised Miguel; it was the fact that the young man was asleep and seemingly without the plaguing nightmares.

Jack, though, was gently supporting the other's body. His head was bowed and resting lightly on top of Will's. He, too, was asleep and Miguel knew it was probably the first time in days.

Backing away, he left the room. Both needed to sleep; he would not bother to check on Jack just yet.

TBC

Long chapter, yes. But it was either make it long or uber short, so I thought you guys would prefer long.

Catch you all next time.


	18. On the Way Home

OMG! I can't believe it's been soooo long since I last updated. I'm SOOOOOOOOO sorry! Of course, I can't believe that there's only one chapter after this one. #sniff# So sad.

Finally, a father and son reunion. Hopefully that will hold you all until next chapter. Anyways, time to answer my lovely reviews and not so lovely death threats. Weeeee! Sorry, I'm really abnormally perky right now.

**Anonymous** – I know it's not as soon as you probably would have liked but here it is. Enjoy.

**Xo900oX** – Yes, I know. I'm dead. Blegh! See? I'm so, so, so, so sorry for making you wait. Hey, when your drunk, you can't seem to get enough. At least that's what I've heard…Sweet! You say woot too. I thought it was something just at my school 'cause my cousins had never heard of it before. Cool! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter too.

**Smithy** – Okay, are you leaving multiple reviews or is there more than one of you? 'Cause I'm really confused. Are you mad at me or are you liking my story? I hope this isn't disturbing, but it should be starting to cool down now if it was.

**Williz** – Glad you like it. And excuse the gore. It tends to gather on the floor and I jus CAN'T seem to do a thing with it… Haha! On with the next chapter!

**Orlikeiraluv** – Don't worry, there will be a reunion. What happens during or after said reunion… Well, just remember that I'm evil.

**Saharan** **Sparrow** – Let's all say it at once. Awwwww… That seems to be most people's opinion. Anyway, here's where it goes from there. Enjoy.

**LadyofCairParavel** – Glad that image was so good. It was one of my personal favorites. Hope this chapter is just as good.

**MagRowan** – Yeah, Miguel and Jackie, the terrible twosome… Haha! …Wow, where did that come from? And I've seen in person guys doing the whole "save masculine face" thing. Our high school band is a very hug oriented band, so while they'll hug and stuff like that, the guys still do their best to seem all macho, even while their hugging. Guys. #shakes head# What are you going to do with them? I guess the thing with Miguel is this, Jack couldn't let anyone else help Will because he wasn't willing to risk him that way. He knew HE couldn't do anything, so he had to let Miguel help him. And when it came to him… Well, he did have a choice so him being the stubborn pirate he is just found Will to be a better option. Glad you like this story enough to be so analytical about it.

**Mightymongoose** – Glad you think I'm a decent author. Hope you like this chapter too.

**Hawkstra** – Yeah, for some reason I've always pictured them as developing a kind of brotherly bond. I'm hoping to see it in the new movie. Have you seen the trailer? It's awesome!

**Daphnebandweenie** – Yes, almost over. #sniff# I'm saddened. That movie was so sad! I went home and listened to the song A Love That Will Never Grow Old several times and cried my eyes out. I don't normally cry during movies, but this one got to me. Poor Ennis. Poor Jack. #sniff#

**Sanquinedarkness666** – See, the problem is that most guys don't have enough brain power.:) (I apologize to any guys reading this) Gah! Mrs. Jones makes me want to sick evil pirates on HER! Stupid AP history with monotonous teacher…

**Sadandlonely** – There is nothing wrong with liking pain, 'cause I obviously do too. Well, enjoy this chapter and read the last one when it comes up. Hopefully, you'll like it.

**Misorasama** – This'll be nineteen chapters. Yeah I know it's an odd number. So sue me. Have fun with this chapter.

And for anyone wondering, Though it may take me a long time to post the sequel for this, but I'll have a little one-shot taking place after this. Hopefully you'll all like it!

Anyway, one to chapter eighteen!

**---------------------------------**

**BlackSword**

**--------------------------------- **

**Chapter 18**

Will woke up suddenly, but not because of the nightmares. He shifted slightly, but stopped when he remembered about Jack.

Slowly and carefully, he pulled away from Jack. He wanted to get away, but he didn't want to wake the pirate. It had been a big surprise when Jack's idea had worked.

He hesitated for a second. Jack would wake up as soon as he left, for the simple reason that his head would drop. So instead, he also gently shifted his friend so the pirate was laying down. As soon as he could, he slipped away.

As he walked through the ship, he concentrated on not wavering. That had annoyed him when he had gone to get Miguel earlier.

Out of curiosity, he balled his right hand into a fist, tightening the muscles throughout his arm. Pain flashed through him, but he didn't relax his muscles. At least not until the muscles began to pull at the bones in his shoulder.

Quickly, he let the muscles relax. 'I wonder how long it will take for my shoulder to heal?' He had broken bones before, but he was trying to take in account the delay of getting it set.

"Dad?"

He stopped instantly, almost wondering if he had really heard the child's voice. 'Would he really be here…?' Slowly, he turned around, unsure of what he would see.

Before he had even finished turning, a small body latched onto him, and Will found himself staring down at a head of dirty blonde hair. Loosening the child's grip, he knelt down in front of his son. "Jack…" Gently, he tipped the boy's face up.

Huge, teary brown eyes stared up at him. Jackie closed his eyes and buried his face in his father's chest, hugging Will tightly.

Smiling slightly, Will hugged the boy back. "It's okay, Jack." He hadn't seen his son in almost two months, and he hadn't been told of how the boy had fared under Blacksword's control – hopefully better than him.

"Captain… Sp… Sparrow told me… you were dead," Jackie managed in between his hiccupping sobs. "They wouldn't let… let me see you." The eight-year-old still had not let go of his father. Will could feel the boy shaking against him.

Gently, Will forced the child back so he could see him. Large, silvery tear tracks ran down the boy's cheeks and his dark eyes were brimming with more. Tentatively, Jackie reached up and pressed his hands against his father's face, as if to reassure himself that it was really Will.

Will noticed, for the first time, the thin scar running through his son's lips. Will gently touched the scar. "What happened?" he quietly demanded.

"Blacksword… hit me," he said quietly. He wouldn't meet his father's eyes; especially after everything Will had gone through. Jackie hadn't been told of everything that had happened to his father, but he knew somewhere inside of him that his father had been hurt worse then he had. Bringing up what had happened to him made him feel worse, considering his father had been captured while attempting to rescue him.

Cold anger flashed through Will's dark brown eyes. "He hit you?" he repeated dangerously.

Jackie nodded slowly. He squeezed closer to his father and latched on again. He had lost his father earlier; he never wanted to let go again. "I love you," he whispered.

A broad smile spread across Will's face. "I love you, too," he told the boy. The smile faded and he turned serious. "Jack, look at me."

The child obeyed, looking up to meet his father's eyes. "What?"

"Did Blacksword… do anything else to you? Did he hurt you?" Will questioned.

Jackie hesitated, clearly not wanting to answer. Finally, he nodded, looking decidedly unhappy. Knowing what the next question would be, he went ahead and continued to answer, "He… beat me," he quietly admitted.

A mixture of shocked sadness and knowing filled Will's eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have been there to protect you and your mother."

Before he even finished, Jack was vigorously shaking his head. "If you had been there, he really _would_ have killed you."

Will decided not to comment on that and instead he said, "Jackie, I need to see your back."

The boy looked confused, "I don't understand…"

"You said Blacksword beat you," Will explained to his son. "I want to see."

Nodding, the boy pulled off his shirt and turned so his father could see his back.

Will winced as he saw his son's back. Criss-crossing, welt-like scars covered Jack's small back. It was nowhere near as bad as Will's, but it was far worse than the child should have had to endure.

Giving his father several seconds to look over his back, Jackie then slipped the shirt back on. Turning back to Will, he waited for his father's reaction.

"I… don't think we should tell your mother about this," the blacksmith quietly said. "She doesn't… need to know about this as of now. It would probably be best if she doesn't find out."

Slowly, Jackie nodded, "Are you going to tell her… about…"

Understanding the boy meant what had happened to him, Will answered, "I doubt I'll be able to hide it from her, if that's what you mean."

Suddenly, Jackie's eyes lit up, "Can I see Captain Sparrow? I haven't seen him in a while."

Will smiled, "So you like Jack?"

Nodding enthusiastically, the boy said, "He's really nice. He protected me from the pirates." He paused, suddenly looking confused. "Why do people hate him? He's a good person, just like you and mom told me."

Sighing, Will quietly explained, "Most people don't look past what they see on the outside. They see Jack as a no-good pirate who breaks the law. It doesn't matter if inside he's a good person; our society cares more about what's on the outside."

"That's not right," Jackie said. "Why does it matter what your job is? All that should matter is how that person acts." Confusion was clearly written on his face.

"I agree with you, but…" Will shrugged, "there's nothing we can do."

Jackie nodded. Finally he said, "So… can I see Captain Sparrow?"

Laughing, Will said, "It's about time he woke up. Come on." On impulse, he used his good arm and picked up the boy. He felt the stress pull at his muscles and it hurt, but he was not going to put his son down.

Jackie wrapped his arms around his father's neck, being careful not to touch Will's shoulder. He couldn't help but stare at the sling on his father's arm. He shifted his eyes away and noticed for the first time a cut only now begining to form into a scar. "What happened?" he asked, lightly fingering the cut on his father's neck.

"It's nothing," Will assured his son. As they reached the room he had left, he lowered the boy back to the floor. "Let's see if he's awake yet."

Stopping at the doorway, the two looked in. Jackie only seemed mildly surprised when he saw Jack. "Asleep on the floor? Did he get drunk again?"

Glancing to the eight-year-old in surprise, Will repeated, "Again?"

"A few days after he… I guess found out you were still alive; he was really drunk. Miguel said he was depressed," the child explained. Jackie glanced back to the pirate. "Can I wake him up?"

Before Will could even answer, the boy had already reached Jack's side and had started to shake him.

"Huh? What the hell…?" Jack asked as he was rudely awakened. His caramel eyes came to rest upon Jackie and then Will as he slowly became aware of his surroundings. "Oh."

Grinning widely, Jackie asked, "Did you get drunk again?"

Jack looked at Will, "What lies have you been telling him?" Looking back to Jackie, he answered, "No, I didn't get drunk."

"Hey, I didn't tell him that," Will protested. "He made that assumption on his own." It was good to hear Jack back to normal – at least, as normal as the pirate ever was – and even better to know his son was okay.

Glaring playfully at the boy in front of him, Jack questioned, "Do you think I got drunk? Why would you think that?"

"You have before," Jackie answered, trying to defend himself. "Like at the bar, when-"

He was instantly cut off as Jack abruptly clamped his hand over the child's mouth. "Heh, I get your point. I can see where you might think that." The pirate glanced almost nervously at Will, hand still stopping the boy from continuing.

"Jack," Will said dangerously. "What bar? Did you take Jackie in a bar?" He wasn't actually upset, just concerned.

"Maybe once," Jack admitted reluctantly. When Will's eyes narrowed dubiously, the pirate forced an innocent grin. "Okay, only twice." This time he was dead serious.

Still, Will turned to his son, waiting for the boy to verify what Jack had said.

Jackie nodded, "It was only twice."

Will sighed, "Let's not tell Elizabeth about that either."

Jack nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Elizabeth would _not_ be happy to find out I let your son go in a bar." He glanced to Jackie. "Got that, boy? _Don't_ tell your mother about that."

"Yes, Captain," Jackie said, nodding. He paused, and then asked, "Are we going home?"

Both pirate and blacksmith nodded. "Soon," Will told the boy. "Soon."

* * *

"I'm sorry, but there will be a… _slight_ delay in our arrival at Port Bryant," Higsby informed everyone. "The Dauntless has suffered damages and we need to stop for repairs."

At first Jack wasn't thrilled with the news, but he then realized it might be the best thing possible. It would give both he and Will more time to heal and that meant there would be less to explain to Elizabeth. "Where are we stopping?" he called, trying to be heard over everyone else murmuring loudly.

"The closest port," Higsby answered. "Commodore Norrington is checking on that now."

"This could be a good thing," Jack whispered to Will. "If there's a port, there's probably a bar."

Will stared at him in exasperation, "Jack is that _all_ you care about?"

"No," Jack protested. His voice then turned soft, "And you know it." The pirate evenly met his friend's gaze and he then grinned.

The young blacksmith returned the smile half-heartedly. Jack had noticed, in the two days since Will had removed the bullet from his stomach, the other man had been… strangely moody. As of now, Will seemed almost depressed.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly. Will shrugged the question off and began to leave along with everyone else who had come to hear Commodore Higsby's announcement. Jack grabbed the young man's good arm and pulled him back. "Will…"

Sighing heavily, Will finally said, "I'm tired of this, of not being able to _do_ anything. I may be hurt, but I'm not helpless. I don't enjoy being treated like I am."

Jack pressed his lips together; he understood the feeling, but he didn't know how to explain it. "Will, we just don't want you to get hurt again."

"Neither do I, but it doesn't matter. I'm not going to break, so don't treat me like I'm gong to," Will said, sounding highly annoyed.

Suddenly, Jack began pacing across the deck. "If something happened and the bone in your shoulder shifts out of place again, you run the risk of permanently damaging your shoulder," he explained, exasperation beginning to show in his voice. "Don't you understand? If we don't prevent you from hurting yourself, you could lose the ability to use your right arm forever."

Will didn't look happy, yet at the same time he didn't seem terribly concerned. "Jack, I-"

"I'm not done," Jack interrupted. "It's not only your shoulder; what about your ribs? They are still not healed. Do you want them to get rebroken? I want you to simply _attempt_ to imagine the added damage that would do to your organs." He was deathly serious.

Dark eyes evenly met Jack's. "I'd rather risk getting hurt than do nothing."

"Will, for now at least, take it easy. Later… maybe you can… I don't know. Just… take it easy. Please?" His caramel eyes were begging Will to listen to him.

Silence filled the small room and Jack stopped pacing and glared at the blacksmith. "Will," he growled in annoyance. "Stop being a stubborn bastard and listen to reason."

"Jack, I know you feel the same as I do. You can't stand to sit around and do nothing, so don't give me hell about it." Will's dark brown eyes were narrow as he said this.

Refusing to respond for several minutes, Jack merely stared at his friend. Groaning and dropping his gaze, the pirate asked, "What do you _want_ to do?"

"I don't know, just… I don't want to stay here and not do anything." He thought for a second, then said, "Honestly… I would _like_ to duel you but… I'd be afraid I'd hurt you."

Rolling his eyes, Jack sighed. "At least you've decided to listen to reason."

Raising his eyebrows, Will asked, "Decided to listen to reason?" As he repeated what Jack had said he grinned widely.

"Don't make me regret saving your life," Jack warned.

Laughing loudly, Will crossed his good arm across his ribs, attempting to deaden the slight pain that shot through them.

Smiling, Jack shook his head. "Will, you are… exasperating."

"It's good to know I'm accomplishing something," Will joked.

Rolling his eyes again, Jack said, "When we get to port, you are _not_ coming to the bar with me."

"Jack…"

* * *

Despite what he had said, several days later Jack found himself leading his friend to the bar at the port they had docked at.

"Jack, do you know where we're going?" Will questioned from behind him.

"The bar," he answered.

He heard Will sigh, "Do you know where the bar is?"

"I have an idea," Jack replied testily.

Will's voice was laced with sarcasm, "That's very comforting."

Choosing to ignore the comment, Jack continued to wander through the dark streets. At first he had been unwilling to bring Will along with him, but the young man had become even more restless.

He understood the reason Will hated being treated as though he were unable to do anything. The only reason he hadn't been treated thus was because only Will knew he was injured.

Finally, he found what he was looking for and grinned a gold-toothed grin. "I told you I knew where I was going."

"You must be _the_ luckiest pirate in the Caribbean," Will commented wryly.

"Or skilled," Jack said, smiling. "Come on. I need some rum."

The blacksmith didn't answer; instead he merely stepped back, indicating for Jack to lead the way. "Norrington would not be happy to know we snuck out to the bar."

Jack didn't answer until he had reached the bar and gotten two bottles of rum. Coming back to Will, he passed the bottle to the other man. "Well, we just won't tell him about this, will we?"

Nodding in agreement, Will started for the door. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Out."

Shrugging, Jack followed his friend. "Just don't go picking a fight," he said after a large sip of his rum.

Will simply shook his head, but a gleam crept into his eyes. To Jack's surprise, he noticed the younger man had downed half his bottle. "Damn, they really did teach you to drink, didn't they?"

"You'd be surprised," Will answered, taking another large swallow of the rum.

A sharp laugh escaped the pirate. "Elizabeth is not going to like this."

"Well, we just won't tell her about this, will we?" Will said, repeating what Jack had said earlier. He took one more sip, finishing off the rum and getting rid of the bottle.

Jack stared at him. "Remind me to never get in a drinking contest with you." He shook his head, jingling the beads in his hair.

Will laughed, hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Afraid I would win?"

Quickly finishing the rest of his rum, Jack snorted, "Possibly." He lightly tossed the bottle aside.

"Is that why you are afraid to fight me now? Because if I beat you while fighting switch I'd prove I'm better than you."

Jack stopped dead and stared at the blacksmith in surprise. "What… did you say?"

"Is that why you are _afraid_ to fight me now?" Will repeated. His dark eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"I'm _not_ afraid to fight you," Jack said darkly. "I simply don't want you to get hurt."

Shrugging, Will turned and began to walk away. "Fine, I'm sure I could find someone here that would be willing to fight me."

Sprinting to catch up with the young man, Jack stopped him. "What! Don't be stupid! Are you drunk?"

The blacksmith didn't answer the questions; he merely asked, "Don't you think I'd be safer fighting you than anyone else?"

Growling quietly, Jack asked, "Did Elizabeth teach you to argue?"

Once again, Will didn't answer but presented another question of his own. "Jack, why won't you just fight me? I trust you… I know you are not going to hurt me." His hand had tightened on his sword.

Finally, Jack relented, "Fine. Draw your sword."

Will stared blankly, "Huh?"

"You said you wanted to fight, so… draw your sword," Jack explained.

Grinning, Will quickly jerked his sword from its sheath. "Thank you."

"Just know I was against this."

The younger man's smile widened. "It has been noted." The sword was balanced carefully in his left hand. "You had best not go easy on me just because I'm injured."

Jack didn't answer and instead slashed downward towards his friend. To his surprise, Will blocked and quickly turned his own blade on him, forcing the pirate to react. Clearly, there was no reason for him to go _quite_ that easy on Will.

It was instantly obvious to Will that Jack wasn't trying. That annoyed him, to say the least. 'Damn it Jack, I'm not a child. Stop treating me like one,' he thought angrily.

Spinning, Will attacked, trying to force Jack to stop going easy on him.

Parrying the quick blows from Will, the pirate still refused to go any harder on the blacksmith. He would not risk hurting him. The young man wouldn't hurt him, so he didn't have to worry about it.

To his surprise, Will's blade slid down his arm, leaving a deep gash through it. He was shocked; he had fully expected Will to pull the blade back to keep from injuring him, but if Will wasn't going to hold back…

"What's wrong, Jack? Is this the best you can do?" Will taunted, hoping to trick Jack into attacking harder.

"Will, you had best stop now, if I get mad at you…" Jack warned. "I really don't want to hurt you, so don't tempt me to."

"Why not?" Will pressed. He didn't enjoy acting like a jerk, but if it made Jack stop going easy on him… "Should I be afraid of you?" At that, he laughed; once again, he hated the way it made him sound, but he needed Jack to stop treating him like a child.

Anger flared up through Jack, but he forced it down. He wasn't stupid; he knew what Will was trying to force him into doing. The other man was definitely persistent.

"I think you're just afraid. Afraid that even if you do try, you won't beat me," Will continued to taunt. Jack's next attack had much more power behind it and the shock of it rolled through his arm. It wasn't quite enough though. He knew Jack could fight better than he was currently. He merely had to draw Jack's full talent out.

"Will, I'm warning you…" Jack said darkly. He was finding it more and more difficult to hold back, and it became more and more obvious as he continued to attack and parry. "Damn it, Will. Stop!"

The young blacksmith only forced an even larger grin. "Why? Oh that's right, because you're afraid." He blocked Jack's next attack despite its growing intensity. "The famous Captain Jack Sparrow unable to beat a blacksmith. Whoever would have guessed?"

Jack's anger peaked for a split second, but that was all it took. Before he could stop himself, he smashed the hilt of his sword into his friend's face.

The sudden move caught Will off guard and he had no chance of blocking it. The impact of the sword's metal hilt with his skull caused a small explosion in his vision and he instantly blacked out.

Even before Will dropped to the ground, Jack realized what had happened. It was still too late to change what he had done, so he did the only thing he could; he dropped to his knees beside the young man. "Will?" He was unable to keep the alarmed tremor out of his voice.

To his surprise, Will regained consciousness instantly and he was unable to stop a soft groan. "Okay, this is worse than a hangover." He winced, "What a headache." He pressed his left hand against his face as he sat up.

Jack rocked back, off his knees, so that he was squatting in front of Will. "Are you okay? I am so sorry."

Pure terror flashed through the pirate as Will just blinked at him. "And you are?" the blacksmith asked blankly. After a few seconds though he broke into a huge grin in response to the horrified look on Jack's face.

The pirate grunted and roughly shoved the younger man backwards. "Will, how could you do that?" Guilt then flashed through his eyes, "I am so sorry," he repeated helplessly. He refused to meet the look in his best friend's gaze; he wouldn't even look _at_ him.

Will sighed, "Jack, it's not your fault. I deserved it for acting like a jerk. I shouldn't have tried to force you to go so hard on me." He looked down, "I should have trusted your judgment on whether I was ready or not for this."

Slowly Jack met Will's eyes. "No, I should have listened to you. You trusted me to actually attempt to beat you, but I didn't even try to push you. Looks like I hurt you more by treating you the way I did." As he talked, he watched Will gingerly touch his forehead. "Are you okay?"

"Well, I don't have a concussion and my skull is still in one piece, so… yes, I'm okay," Will said slowly. "I'm developing a serious headache, but other than that, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Jack demanded.

Glaring slightly, Will asked, "What do you want me to say? That you cracked my skull? You didn't, okay! I'm fine. I have a headache, but that's all."

Finally Jack nodded and he stood, holding out his hand. Will pointedly ignored it and pushed himself to his feet using his good arm.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Are you going to act this way until we get to Port Bryant?"

"No, only until the headache goes away."

TBC

Okay, one last little contest. Aside from the husband/wife reunion and the finding of the Black Pearl, I've got something else that needs to be wrapped up. Anyone who can tell me what it is (Except Sanqiunedarkness666 and Daphnebandweenie, because you've already read this) will get a big stack of invisible cookies. And bragging rights. So think hard about things that have been left unresolved.

And please review! I'll love you forever!

Check everyone later!


	19. And Finally Everything Comes Together

Hello everyone. #Sniff# Yes, this is the last chapter. We are here at the end. So sad. Any way, I just want to thank all you guys for your continued reviews. It made my day every time I read a new one.

Okay, well since no one guessed what I was going to do #Teehee. Be ready for a surprise. Hopefully…# I shall split the mass amount of invisible cookies and split them amongst you all. Enjoy everyone!

Okay, as far as a sequel goes… I don't know if or when one will get typed. BUT I will post at least one short one-shot taking place after this. It won't be under BlackSword, but if you'll occasionally check my author's page, I promise to have one up in about a month. Yes, it really does take me that long to type anything. When it comes to typing school papers, I always totally screwed. Anyways, I hope you guys all check out my other stuff and leave comments. It'd just make my day, week, month, and year.

Okay, time to answer all my lovely reviews.

**Smithy** – Thanks for clearing that up for me. Well, I hope you are satisfied with the way this story ends. I'm glad this story interesting and I hope it's not too fantastical for you and yet not too disgustingly brutal.

**MagRowan** – Glad my story has evoked emotion. Exasperation at characters and curiosity are SOOOOO much better than apathy. And yeah, kids are a lot more observant and perseptive than we often give them credit for. Ha. Now I sound like I'm older than 17. Yeah right.

**Xo900oX** – It's cool. Hopefully you'll figure out the surprise when it comes up. I hope you like this chapter. #sniff# I'll miss you once this is over.

**Misorasama** – Well, I hope you enjoy this last chapter. And maybe I'll do a nice angsty one-shot just for you. #Smirk# Enjoy. And tell me what you think.

**Snoozywoozy** – Hey, I'd love to try your invisible cookies. I love them too! Thanks for the guesses, but nope! You still get cookies anyway. Have fun with this chapter.

**Williz** – Nope and nope, but those were good guesses. Here are your cookies for playing. Hope this last chapter is satisfactory… Now I feel sad. I'll miss hearing from you… Wahhhhhh!

**Titus** – Sorry you don't like the character, but every story is gonna have the one character someone doesn't like. Personally, I did a happy dance when Boromir died in LotR and I can't stand Norrington from PotC. I recognize that he's not that bad a guy, but I still can't stand him. Keel-haul him! Anyway… The thing about him being mature is that back in that time period, children were generally more mature than they are now. They were taught to behave and speak much more properly than nowadays and Elizabeth, as a "properly raised" child would no doubt raise her child in a similar manner. And the fighting aspect… Well, it's proven that humans as a race are highly adaptable and children even more so than adults. They are able to change to meet extraordinary circumstances placed before them. Granted, I know I took it to the extreme but… #shrugs# And don't worry. At least one or two of the one-shots I have planned are just Will and Jack. And no slash. While I occasionally enjoy slash, I just don't see it between Jack and Will. #shivers# Creepy.

**Sanquinedarkness666** – Well, at least I'll be able to talk to you after this is over. And I know you'll enjoy this. So weeeee! Happy day… Except for district. Blegh!

**Daphnebandweenie** – You know… Cullen hasn't pleasured your spoon in a while… Oh well, not that I'm complaining… And I know you'll like this too. So yay! Now if only we could get out of wearing those awful band dresses on Wednesday. Then life would be perfect.

**Hawkstra** – Yeah, I see that trailer at least ten times a day at work. It's hard to remember to get people their popcorn when that starts playing. Very distracting. Anyway, at the end here I hope you can manage at least on more review. I'll miss you so much now that this is over.

**SpufFan** – I'm super glad you were able to review again, so I forgive you. I did miss you though and now I'll miss you again. I hope you enjoy this last chapter.

**Lyn** – Oh. My. God. #bashes head repeatedly against desk# I can't believe that I did that. Now I feel stupid. I'm getting that fixed as soon as possible. And as to the whole SNEAK thing… It's obvious I'm from Southern Alabama now isn't it?

Well, that's about it. I'm gonna miss you guys SOOOOOOO much, but here's the last chapter. I hope everyone finds it to their liking and leaves one last review for old time sake.

Enjoy.

**---------------------**

**BlackSword**

**---------------------**

**Chapter 19**

"Well, it's about time," Jack commented softly as he watched Port Bryant rise into view on the horizon. Hopefully, soon after they got there Miguel would be back with word on the Pearl. He had been shocked upon returning to the Dauntless- after Will had dulled his headache with yet another bottle of rum- to find that Commodore Norrington had sent the Spaniard to find out what had become of the Black Pearl.

It had taken them a week and a half to get where they were from their stop at the small port. That made it a total of two months and four days since Will had been taken by Blacksword, making the whole blasted escapade- from the kidnapping of Jackie on down- a total of little more than three months.

'Not as long as some of my adventures, but certainly loner than I expected,' Jack thought to himself.

"I can't wait to see Elizabeth," Will said from beside him. "I know Jackie has been wanting to see her as well."

Jack glanced at his friend, "Are you ready for this? She's going to want to know what happened to you." As he talked, he quickly looked the younger man over, searching for signs of the torture he had suffered through. The only remaining _visible_ signs of the abuse he had endured was the scar on the base of his neck and the sling on his arm, still preventing him from moving his shoulder.

All of the other scars were hidden from view, as were most of Jackie's.

I hope so," Will sighed softly. He looked down at the sling on his arm. "I also hope my shoulder heals soon."

"Unfortunately, you still have several weeks before it's fully healed."

"Jack, my shoulder has been broken for nearly two months now," Will said. "It should be healed by now."

Nodding to show he understood, Jack said, "But it's only been about five weeks since it was set. And Miguel said that your shoulder was healing much slower than normal. You're going to have to deal with it for a few more weeks."

Will scowled slightly, than asked in a quiet voice, "So when Miguel gets back, I guess you're going to leave, huh?" The expression on his face had changed from almost angry to slightly depressed.

The pirate stopped and blinked. For some reason, he had never thought that coming to Port Bryant would mean that Will would go back to being a blacksmith. He had thought… hoped, really, that the young man would decide to be a pirate. It had never occurred to him…

"I guess so," he said slowly. His caramel eyes flickered.

"What's wrong?" Will asked, voice still low. Concern edged his dark eyes. He could tell something had suddenly begun to bother the pirate.

Jack quickly shook his head, "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"You sure?" Will pressed.

He nodded, "Yes, I'm fine. I promise." Jack evenly met Will's eyes. "I promise," he repeated. His seriousness was reflected in his own eyes.

Slowly, Will nodded and turned back to the sea, gazing at Port Bryant. "This is going to be…"

"Interesting?" Jack supplied.

"Interesting," Will agreed. "Interesting."

* * *

"Jack, are you sure you want to come? After all, you'll be in danger of getting arrested," Will said, hesitating at the Dauntless's gangplank. 

"What? I don't get to see Elizabeth?" Jack asked, looking surprised. He made a show of pouting and looking hurt, "That's not fair."

"Don't worry, Captain Sparrow. You can come. I'm sure mom will be glad to see you," Jackie said. He couldn't stand to see anyone he cared about upset and he was just young enough to be unable to tell the pirate was joking.

Jack couldn't help but smile at the boy. "At least _someone_ cares about me," he said sarcastically. The pirate turned his grin to Will to show he was only joking.

The young blacksmith didn't look too amused, but neither did he seem terribly upset. "Come on, Jackie," Will said, glancing to his son. He then turned to Jack, "You can come too… if you want."

Despite pretending to be upset at the thought of being left behind, Jack hesitated. Ever since he had realized that reaching Port Bryant meant leaving his friend behind- again, he had done his best to at least slightly distance himself from Will. "I don't know…"

To his surprise, both Will and Jackie seemed upset. "But Jack…" Will said. "Please… I was only joking about you not coming. Besides, Elizabeth will want to see you. You have to come."

Jackie was nodding vigorously, "You _have _to come," he said, repeating his father. "Please Captain Sparrow…" His large brown eyes stared pleadingly at him.

Jack groaned, "Don't look at me like that… Fine, I'll come." The little boy broke into a wide grin. The pirate turned abruptly and started down the gangplank, forcing both Will and his son to have to hurry after him.

"Jack, are you okay?" Will asked quietly as he caught up to his friend.

The pirate sighed and started to answer but was interrupted by a soft, excited voice, "Will? Jackie?"

Will's face visibly brightened. "Elizabeth?" His wife stopped in front of him, her eyes quickly taking in his appearance. After a few seconds though, she threw her arms around him – being careful of his visible injuries – and, pulling him close, kissed him.

"Eww," Jackie said, making a face. Jack laughed and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Upon hearing her son's voice, Elizabeth gently pulled away from Will and knelt in front of her son. She embraced him and kissed the boy on the cheek. "Are you okay, Jackie?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Mom…" The boy sounded exasperated, but he was unable to keep the pleased look out of his eye.

Reluctantly, Elizabeth let go of her child and turned back to Will. "And what, pray tell, happened to you?" Her eyes flickered in concern.

"Oh, so I don't even warrant a greeting? Fine," Jack said, faking indignation, before Will could answer her.

Elizabeth smiled at him and glided up to him. To Jack's complete surprise, Elizabeth gently kissed him. The pirate couldn't stop from sending Will a roguish smirk. The blacksmith simply rolled his eyes.

"How nice," a voice said coldly.

Will, Jack, and Elizabeth all turned, searching for who had spoken; Jackie froze completely. Jack's caramel eyes fell upon a man he had completely forgotten about.

"Chris!" Jack asked in surprise, his voice overriding that of Jackie's. Both pirate and small boy stared in shock at the blonde man. Blue eyes glared at them.

Fear swept through Will and he swallowed hard. Quickly, he took a step back, trying to get as much distance as possible between himself and Chris.

Jackie smiled and began to approach the man. "Chris, you don't have to worry about anything. Black Andrew is dead."

The blonde man ignored the boy and stalked forward towards Will. The blacksmith continued to back away; for the first time in a few months, his dark eyes were filled with that same abject terror Jack had seen in his eyes when he had rescued the younger man from Blacksword.

Noticing the look on Chris's face, Jack became confused. "Chris, what's…?"

Before he could finish, Chris jerked his pistol from his belt and, catching up to Will, pressed his gun against the other's forehead. "I swear I should have killed you earlier."

Jack blinked in confusion. "Chris…?"

"You still don't understand, do you, Sparrow?" Chris sneered, not moving the gun from Will as he glared over at Jack. "I guess he's the only one who understands." At that he jerked his head toward Will.

Elizabeth did not look happy. "Who are you," she demanded, "and what are you doing?"

Chris turned back to Will, "So do you want to explain _who_ I really am?" When Will didn't immediately answer, he threateningly pressed the gun harder against his forehead.

"He's… Blacksword first mate," Will said slowly. He could not understand how Jack could have known Chris yet not realized he was a part of Blacksword's crew. The young man didn't realize that he wasn't the only one who had been deceived.

Anger flashed through Jack. "You little bastard." It didn't escape Will's notice that Jack had made sure Elizabeth was safely behind him.

Chris couldn't help but laugh, "Sparrow, don't feel bad. I had both you and little Jackie believing I was on your side."

"Look, I don't know what you want but you had best move the pistol _away_ from my husband or you _will_ suffer the consequences, "Elizabeth threatened, trying to move out from behind Jack. The pirate would not let her though, much to her annoyance.

"What do I want? What I want is for this man," he said, glaring at Will, "to die." His anger was clearly reflected in his blue eyes. "Everything was perfect. We would have you killed, murder Sparrow, and then _we_ would have had the Caribbean. You should be dead!" he yelled angrily in Will's face.

"Go rot in hell," Will shot back. As he said that, his insides twisted. He shouldn't have said that. The fears that had lain dormant in him for more than a month quickly resurfaced. Despite the month he had had to heal, the painful memories and lessons that had been beaten into him were impossible to override.

For several seconds, Chris simply scowled at him. Then he drew back and punched him hard. Will crashed backwards but managed to remain conscious.

He quickly pulled himself to his feet, using his good arm to steady himself. Despite the fact that Will quickly got back up, Jack felt fear sweep through him. The pirate would have attacked Chris except that the other's pistol remained trained on Will.

"Look's like you've got your attitude back," Chris sneered. "I could break you of it again, but I don't think I'll take the chance this time. I'll just kill you, like we should have done last time."

Elizabeth was confused; she didn't follow this conversation at all. "What's going on?" she demanded fearfully. "Jack, Will, what is he talking about?"

Once again, Chris came closer to Will, causing fear to skitter up and down Will's spine. So much of what he had suffered through had been at Chris's hands or his idea and the blacksmith still had those fears deep inside him.

"It's a long story, Elizabeth," Will said slowly, never taking his eyes off the barrel of the gun now pointed at his chest.

"Be quiet!" Chris snapped. To Elizabeth and Jack's surprise, Will instantly obeyed, fear flashing in his eyes. "Sparrow," Chris said, turning some of his attention to the pirate, "Do you remember what I told you?"

"Every single thing," Jack said, "and I swear I will murder you for it." His caramel eyes reflected his seriousness.

Chris smiled evilly, "Good. Well, I thought you should know, it was my idea that broke him. My idea. I tortured him. I did it!" His blue eyes flickered cruelly.

A bolt of pure anger shot through Jack and it was only fuelled by the embarrassed, scared look in Will's eyes. Chris had told him, in detail, exactly what had been done to Will, and he was about to explode. "I'm going to kill you," he promised again.

"Maybe, but Will is going to die first. And you, that woman, and the little whelp are going to watch. Don't get me started on that brat… Where hell is that brat!"

Will and Jack both started as they realized that Jackie was nowhere to be seen. Elizabeth's eyes widened as she glanced frantically for the boy.

"I'm right here," a small voice said, carrying a hint of childish defiance. Chris froze and before he could even move a small body dropped on top of him. He felt a sharp pain shoot through his arm and he instinctively pulled the trigger.

The bullet smashed into the dock at Jackie's feet as he landed. Both Elizabeth and Jack jumped at the sound and Will flinched uncontrollably.

Jackie didn't bother to pull his dagger from Chris's arm; instead he grabbed the pirate's own from his belt. As soon as his small hands had the knife, he flipped the blade around and raked it across Chris's throat.

The blade didn't go deep enough to kill him but that didn't stop Jackie. He spun; as he did, he grabbed the knife in Chris's arm wrenched it out. Then the boy shoved the dagger in his left hand into the pirate's heart while he took the other knife and pulled it up – after stabbing him in the stomach – from his abdomen to his solar plexus.

Chris had never even had a chance, not even a second the react to the danger the child had presented. He fell to his knees, shock showing in his blue eyes.

"No one threatens my family or Captain Sparrow and gets away with it," Jackie said darkly, glaring at the man who was now eye level with him, "especially not a bastard like you." As Jackie finished, Chris's eyes clouded, rolling into the back of his head, and he collapsed onto the ground, dead.

The boy snorted and rolled the body over, pulling the two knives from Chris's dead body. He turned away and grinned a huge, childish grin at his mother and Captain Sparrow. He then glanced at his father and smiled shyly.

Both Jack and Will stared at the boy in absolute shock but Elizabeth reacted instantly. "Jackie!" she screeched. "Look what you did! You killed him! And where did you learn such language!"

Suddenly seeming to realize what exactly it was that he had done, the eight-year-old stammered uncertainly, "Uh… but mom… I…"

"Elizabeth, it's probably my fault," Jack interrupted. He now stood beside Will, eyes uncertain. "I taught him to fight and… he probably picked up the language from me."

She glared at him but her eyes softened as she glanced to her husband. "Elizabeth," he said softly, "Jackie had to learn to fight; if he didn't, Blacksword probably would have killed him."

Slowly, Elizabeth nodded and she stepped closer to Will. Reaching up, she gently touched his face. "What happened that I don't know about?"

Gently, Will took hold of her wrist with his left hand. "I'll explain everything later, I promise. Okay?" He gently kissed the palm of her hand and stared hard into her eyes.

Jack groaned and rolled his eyes and he couldn't miss that Jackie did so as well. "Can we go home now?" the boy asked.

Elizabeth smiled broadly, "Of course. And Jack," she turned to the pirate, "you are welcome to stay as long as you want."

* * *

One Week Later

Jack stood on a small, isolated beach just outside of Port Bryant, looking at the Black Pearl from afar. The day before, Miguel had returned with the Pearl and his original crew, including Ana Maria and Gibbs. The pirate captain had been thrilled to see his beloved ship at first, but now his emotions were mixed.

Despite the fact that Jack had spent much of the past week trying to avoid the guards in the port, he now found himself reluctant to leave. He knew he had to go, he wanted to go – his heart belonged to the sea and no one else – but … still he found himself hesitating.

"Jack?" the voice behind him was soft but it still surprised him.

He turned to see Will and Elizabeth standing together, watching him. The pirate forced a small smile and nodded in acknowledgement of them. From behind them, Jackie appeared, his eyes downcast.

Kneeling in front of the boy, he asked, "What's wrong, kid?" His caramel eyes studied the child for a moment before glancing to Will. The young man shrugged slightly, as least as best as he could with a broken shoulder.

"I don't want you to go, Captain Sparrow," Jackie said, large brown eyes nearly beginning to fill with tears.

Jack was surprised, "I have to go. I'm a pirate. But don't worry. I'll be back. After all, I'll have to come bother your parents." He stood back up and gently patted the boy on the head. "You'll see me again."

Glancing backwards, he saw the small rowboat that had been left on the beach so he could return to the Black Pearl. Miguel was leaning against the small boat, waiting for him. Jack had asked the Spaniard to become a member of his crew. He had lost several of his crew in Tortuga, so there was plenty of room for him aboard the Pearl.

The pirate looked back to Will and Elizabeth. He noticed that Will also looked upset, most likely for the same reason he himself was.

"Will…" he hesitated for a second, "there's… something I need to ask you. I already know the answer but… I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't ask."

The blacksmith watched him questioningly as did Elizabeth. Will remained quiet though, waiting for Jack to finish.

"Will…" he hesitated. "I want you to be first mate aboard the Black Pearl." Jack knew his friend couldn't accept but he had to offer anyway. He knew Will would never leave his family to become a pirate but… he wanted Will to know he had that option.

The young blacksmith blinked in shock. "What? You… you want… me to be…your first mate," he repeated, choking slightly on the words. His surprise was obvious, but at the same time it was clear he was pleased. For a few seconds anyway. He then looked down as reality returned. "Jack, I wish I could but… I… I can't."

Nodding, Jack said, "I know… I just had to ask." He couldn't help but notice that Will had grown depressed.

Elizabeth glanced at her husband and elbowed him. "What-?" he began, turning to her. She glared at him, and then her eyes darted to Jack. "I- I can't… Elizabeth, I can't."

Jack raised his eyebrows as he attempted to follow the conversation. "I must be drunk, because I can't understand anything the two of you are talking about."

Elizabeth sighed, and then turned away from her husband so that she was facing Jack. "Captain Sparrow, Will accepts you offer." Both Will and Jackie seemed shocked. "Dad's going to be a pirate?" the boy asked, surprise mixing with excitement.

"No," Will said, not even looking at the boy. His eyes remained fixed on Elizabeth. "I can't. I'm not going to leave you and Jackie here alone. I grew up without a father, I know how it feels; I'm not going to force my son to go through that. So the answer is no."

Jack hadn't said anything, but a small bit of hope had risen inside of him. Maybe Elizabeth… maybe she could talk Will into becoming a pirate. Maybe…

"Will, I know you want to be a pirate. Jackie and I shall be fine without you. This is what you're meant to do. It's in your blood; you can't deny the call of the sea any longer. I know you've felt it," Elizabeth said, seriousness obvious in both her eyes and tone of voice.

To Jack's surprise, Will didn't back down. Normally, he would simply accept what the high assertive young woman said, but not this time. "No! I won't leave you and Jackie. I may want to be a pirate but not so much that I'm willing to leave you."

She grunted – in a manner as dignified as possible, of course – and looked back to Jack. "You… lost several of your crew when you dropped them off in Tortuga, right?"

Slowly, Jack nodded, "Yes, why?"

"Well, Captain Sparrow, if you'll have us, you just gained three new crew members."

"What!" both Will and Jack asked in surprise. Jack stared at the woman, then asked, "Are you telling me that both you and Jackie want to become pirates as well?"

Will's dark eyes were wide, "Elizabeth… you… why?"

Smiling softly, Elizabeth answered her husband, "I know you want to be a pirate. Jackie does too. I don't exactly like it here either, so why not?"

Jackie's eyes were filled with barely contained excitement. "Does this mean we get to stay on the Black Pearl?"

All eyes turned to Will. Jack forced a large, drunken smile and held out his hand. "So… what do you say?"

The young blacksmith stared at the pirate then glanced to the outstretched hand. Glancing back up, he met Jack's eyes and waited.

Jack slowly grew confused. He looked from to his hand and back up. "What-?" Suddenly he understood and he laughed as he realized his mistake. Quickly, he switched hands; out of habit, he had held out his right hand, forgetting for a moment about the fact that Will couldn't use his right hand.

Smiling ruefully, Will shook his head. Despite the fact that he had been arguing passionately with Elizabeth about joining Jack's crew, he was pleased with how things had turned out. Finally he shook Jack's hand, using his left hand.

"Well Jack, it looks like you've got three new pirates," Will said with a grin. His dark brown eyes were glittering with excitement.

The pirate shook his head. His own excitement he could barely contain, and it was obvious in his smile. "No, I just gained one pirate, a pirate-in-training, and a first mate." He cocked his head as he looked at Elizabeth. "You might want to change clothes. I don't know how well a dress will work aboard the Black Pearl."

"If you'll wait for me, I'll get a change of clothes."

Jack's large smile only grew wider. "Okay, but remember the code," he said, eyes gleaming. "Anyone who falls behind gets left behind."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and, gently taking hold of her husband's left arm, began to drag him away. "Come on. The sooner we get our things, the sooner we can leave with the Pearl."

Their eight-year-old son was beaming. He had wanted to become a pirate all along. "We get to stay aboard the Black Pearl!" Spinning around to face Jack, he launched himself at the pirate and gave him a fierce hug. "Thank you, Captain Sparrow."

The pirate smiled then said, "That means you're going to have to take orders from me. "Do you think you can do it?"

An even larger smile spread across the boy's face. "Yes, sir!"

* * *

Three Weeks Later

"You sure you want to do this, Will?"

The younger man nodded, "Why do you ask? Are you afraid?"

Less than a day before, Miguel had decided that Will's shoulder was fully healed. It had been to Will's great pleasure when he had once again been allowed his full freedom. Now, he had forced Jack to agree to a sword duel, and he wasn't going to let the slight ache in his shoulder stop him.

A sharp laugh interrupted them, "Captain, that boy thinks you're afraid. He must be smarter than he looks."

Jack looked over his shoulder. "Shut up, Ana Maria," he growled. The black woman simply laughed again.

This time a few more voices joined in her laughter. The captain stopped and glared at Gibbs and Miguel. The two men were in no way intimidated at the moment.

"Shows how much respect you have for me," Jack muttered. "Even Elizabeth and Jackie are laughing."

The small group had gathered in one of the Black Pearl's cargo holds. All wanted to see the captain fight the new first mate- especially since all of them knew of Will's extraordinary swordsmanship abilities.

Will's smile was large. "Come on, Jack. Looks like you don't have a choice."

Turning back to his first mate, Jack pulled out his sword. H didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes told Will he was looking forward to the duel.

Slowly, Will drew his own sword. It was, at the same time, a slightly strange feeling to be using his right hand again, and yet it was a great relief to be able to.

"The record: me, two wins. You, one. You've got some catching up to do," Jack said.

"You cheated," Will said, almost instantly.

Jack's drunken smile grew larger. "And what, pray tell, are you going to about it?"

"Come on dad. I know you can beat Captain Sparrow. He told me so himself," Jackie spoke up for the first time.

The pirate captain rolled his eyes, "You weren't supposed to tell him that, kid." As he watched Will, he decided that the younger man was ready and waiting.

Hoping to catch Will by surprise, Jack suddenly lunged, bringing his sword down hard. Will slipped his own blade up, and then spun away.

He had his own plan and he was setting Jack up. The young man had no intention of losing again. "You're going to have to do better than that, Jack," he said, smiling. "Are you sure you're not holding back?"

Jack didn't answer, but he didn't need to. He struck again, even harder this time. Again, Will blocked it effortlessly. This time, both the young man's laughter and the sound of swords clashing together echoed through the Black Pearl and out into the Caribbean night.

Fin

Ha! Did you guys see the thing with Chris coming? Haha! I win!


End file.
